I hauled my tired ass inside the Guild Hall, head held proudly and a tiny smile on my face. Not the walk of shame of a dungeon victim, but the triumphant march of a war veteran.
I definitely looked the part.
Arms coated up to elbow in dried blood. Clothes stained a dark red. Armor gouged by claw marks.
My leg throbbed in pain with every step, but it was dull and distant by now and did nothing to break my stride.
Chatter filled my ears as I passed by the line of people waiting at the exchange post, and I held my head a little higher, smile growing the tiniest bit wider.
The place was bustling with people, most of them busy exchanging loot or just talking to the clerks, but I drew plenty of curious glances on my way to Misha's counter.
Excitement churned in my gut.
Yes, yesss. Witness the Greatest Cool, you scrubs. Today, a war shadow. Tomorrow, I was making the dungeon my bitch.
Shame? Fuck that.
I murdered a whole pass parade. I fought a motherfucking War Shadow and won. I'd earned this.
As I walked closer to the reception, a quiet, amused huff escaped me at the sight. My cute advisor sat at her desk, frowning at some paperwork as usual.
"Hey, Misha, guess who's back?"
The girl looked up from her papers, face lighting up with a smile as she stood up. She sauntered over to the counter, gaze flicking to my arms and chest. I was ready to explain myself, but, to my surprise, she just arched an eyebrow, cerise eyes glittering in amusement.
"Been busy, I see," she said, lips quirked teasingly. "You should leave some monsters for the other adventurers, too, you know?"
Oh. She hadn't noticed yet, had she?
I did my best to play it cool, hoping she wouldn't notice my injuries, but, as I stopped in front of the reception counter, the smile quickly faded from her face. A beat of silence passed as her gaze roamed across my body, mouth opening with a quiet gasp.
"Jack, are you okay? What happened?" Her voice came out a little rushed, and I felt a flicker of warmth in my chest.
She really cared, didn't she?
"Don't worry, most of it isn't mine." I gave her a reassuring smile, but Misha's frown did not abate, her brow furrowing deeply as her eyes lingered on my bandaged thigh.
"I thought you said you'd be careful." She gave me a disappointed look, and I pursed my lips, raising my hands in a half shrug.
"I was careful, but then some asshole pass paraded me with a dozen monsters."
This time it really wasn't my fault.
Misha's eyes widened. "What?" She dropped her hands flat on the counter, her sharp tone nearly making me grimace.
Maybe I shouldn't tell her about the war shadow, but… I didn't want to lie to her, and she'd probably find out anyway at some point.
"And then a war shadow showed up."
A beat of tense, uneasy silence passed, and I could see the exact moment when those words fully sank in, a look of shock twisting Misha's face.
"A war shadow?!" she hissed, voice turning a little strangled by the end as she stared at me, mouth agape.
Good thing she wasn't Eina, or else half the Guild would've heard that.
"Yeah." A brief grimace pulled at my lips. "That was a tough one."
"Jack…" Her eyes flickered to my torn shirt, then back to my leg. "Are you alright?"
"Of course." I gestured at my bandaged thigh. "I stopped the bleeding before leaving, so I should be fine until home."
Misha worried her lip, searching my face for a long, quiet moment. The concern was heart-warming, but she shouldn't worry so much. I was fine.
"Do you need a high potion? You can pay in installments."
Hell no.
I shook my head, giving my cute advisor a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. I'll probably get one from Miach anyway."
I hoped not, though. Maybe I could fix my leg overnight with more basic potions and some cream? I did not want another forty-kay added to my debt.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, don't worry. It's just a flesh wound."
"Okay." Misha gave me another once over, worrying her lip. "But how did you even get away from a War Shadow? I saw your status earlier, and…" She didn't say it, but the message was clear.
Anyone else in my place would've died.
But I won.
"I killed it."
For a brief, quiet moment, Misha just stared, eyes wide and jaw slack as she searched my face intently. "You killed it?" she whispered, voice cracking a little. "How?"
I met her incredulous look, lips pursed as I considered my words. Part of me wanted to tell her about my Skill, but… maybe after I got a little stronger.
I lifted a hand for her to see, smirking cheekily as I made a fist. "With these hands." I watched Misha for a reaction, expecting to get a smile or even a tiny curl of the lips at my joke, but she just frowned.
"Jack, this isn't funny." Her pointed glare made me inwardly cringe.
Yeah, this probably wasn't the time for jokes.
"I had a Limit Off." I told her plainly.
I could use this as an excuse for now. It wasn't even a lie.
"A Limit Off?" Misha shook her head, her glare shifting into disbelief. "Jack, that's…" she trailed off, jaw working silently as she struggled to find the words.
"Crazy?" I suggested with a tentative smile, hoping to lighten up the mood a little. This time, it seemed to work as Misha's lips twitched ever so slightly, her tense posture loosening a bit.
"Incredibly lucky, I wanted to say, but that, too." she said, a wry quirk at the corner of her mouth. "A Limit Off isn't something that just anyone can trigger."
Which was weird since it wasn't even a skill issue. Just a mindset one. The top tiers in Loki's Familia should be able to do it, but maybe we didn't know because that flatboard just kept quiet about it?
I'd bet that Ottar definitely could, if something ever pushed him far enough.
As we lapsed into silence, Misha's gaze drifted once again to my leg before she pursed her lips. "Did you see who did it?"
There was a subtle edge in her tone, which, honestly, took me a little by surprise. With how she usually acted, I wouldn't have assumed she had a single mean bone in her body.
"Sadly, no. I just finished clearing a room on the fourth floor, when someone ran past the entrance, wrapped in a dark cloak, and then the monsters showed up."
Misha didn't look satisfied at my answer, a small frown curling her lips.
"You didn't see anything that could help narrow it down? Not even if they were a man or a woman?"
I shook my head, smiling thinly. "They had a hood and passed by in a blink."
A quiet moment passed as Misha nibbled at her lip. "That's unfortunate."
Unfortunate, indeed.
I usually tried not to hold grudges, but for shit like this, I could make an exception.
As our conversation lulled, something caught my eye briefly, though I pretended not to notice the curious look coming from Misha's half-elf neighbor. At least she wasn't glaring as usual.
My cute advisor noticed it too, flashing Eina a cheeky smile that drew a brief shake of the head from the brunette.
"Well, I should probably get going." I said, scratching idly at my forearm. "I need to get my leg treated and take a shower. All this dried blood is starting to itch something fierce."
Misha's face dimmed a little, but she quickly banished that ghost of a frown, pointing a finger playfully at me. "Don't do anything crazy for at least a week, you hear me, mister?" she made it sound like a joke, but the flash of worry in her eyes betrayed the smile on her lips.
What a cute and considerate girl.
I shook my head, smiling back. "Not planning to, but trouble might just come looking again for me."
Eyes narrowing, Misha gave me a pointed look as her lips curled with an over-the-top frown. "Well, you better avoid it, then."
That got a chuckle out of me. What a fun girl.
"I'll do my best."
I wasn't going to do anything stupid, but the falna needed adventure to grow, and I'd have to put on a show for these cheeky gods.
Just as I got ready to leave, Misha called out to me once more, her voice smaller than before.
"Hey, Jack…"
Turning around, the soft look in her eyes caught me off-guard for a moment.
"Stay safe, okay?"
"I will." I gave Misha a small, reassuring smile, holding her gaze for a moment longer as a flicker of warmth settled in my chest. I've known her only for a few days, but she was definitely a keeper.
I would've killed for a girl like her back home.
If she was an Amazon, she'd be perfect.
Hm. Maybe I could convince her to get a suntan?
Stashing away that idle thought, I bade my cute advisor goodbye with a playful wink, enjoying the smile it brought to her lips, before walking away.
As I passed by the exchange post, my eyes lingered on the hallway to the right, a tired sigh escaping me. I could kill for a nice, warm shower right about now, but I didn't want to accidentally reopen my wound. I had to get my leg properly treated first.
__________________________________________
The Blue Pharmacy came into sight as I rounded the corner with a smile, whistling a jaunty tune. That war shadow drop sold for a thousand five hundred valis. More than half of my total earnings for the day.
I finally felt like I was making some progress.
I couldn't wait to see the gains. My anime-worthy fight must've made the numbers go up like crazy.
The door creaked softly as I opened it, my stomach twisting with nervous anticipation. Smiling grimly, I straightened my back and stepped inside.
Even if Miach wasn't home, he'd find out anyway.
Naaza was right where I'd left her in the morning, manning the counter with the burning fervor of a grown man watching paint dry. It was mostly her natural poker-face at play, but the overall lack of patrons definitely made her seem even more done with life.
At least she had books to occupy herself.
As the door closed behind me, my diligent captain glanced up from the page she was reading, violet eyes regarding me for a long, slightly awkward moment.
"Hey there, captain." I flashed her a smile and waved cheekily in greeting, making my way to the counter as Naaza kept staring at me, her face utterly deadpan.
"I'm starting to see a pattern here," she said in her usual sleepy voice.
My lips pursed. Blow yourself up one time…
Holding back a tired sigh, I just shrugged. "I got pass paraded."
Naaza blinked, her eyebrows climbing up a fraction. "How?"
"Well, some asshole ran past me with a bunch of monsters—
"Not that." The dog girl closed her book, eyes roaming across my injuries as her brow furrowed deeply. "How do you get pass paraded on your third day in the dungeon?"
Well, this city was full of assholes, so the odds weren't really that low.
"Bad luck?" I shrugged, and she just shook her head with a barely audible sigh.
"How deep did you go?"
I bit back the knee-jerk reply at the last moment, mouth twitching with a suppressed smile. "Fourth floor."
For a quiet moment, Naaza just stared at me, face an utter deadpan, before mouthing something unintelligible under her breath. My limited lip-reading skills made me believe it was a curse.
"Your luck is terrible."
A couple days ago, I would've argued that, but now… yeah. It felt like I had protagonist level luck.
"I've noticed."
First Freya, now a pass parade. What next? A surprise infant dragon encounter?
"Did you see who did it?"
Her tone stayed flat as usual, but her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, turning sharper, with a hint of steel.
She did care, in her own way, it seemed.
"Nope." I shook my head with a thin smile. "They wore a hooded cloak and passed by way too quickly."
With my stats back then, I barely saw anything more than a black blur.
Naaza stood up with a frown, leaning over the counter, amethyst eyes staring intently at my face. My gaze drifted briefly to her glossy lips, but I quickly dragged it away, meeting her eyes again.
Cute as she was, this girl had a thing for Miach, and I wasn't going to get anywhere in between that. At least not on purpose.
Naaza's warm breath tickled my face as she kept inspecting my injury, and I tried not to think about how close she currently was.
If I leaned forward a little, I could easily ki—
"This one almost got your eye."
Now that she mentioned it, the skin on my right cheek felt a little tense. It must have fully scabbed already.
"Yeah, that War Shadow was nasty."
Naaza went quiet, gaze widening a fraction as she pulled back. "You fought a War Shadow?" Even her tone held a note of disbelief. The last time when she showed this much emotion was when I pissed her off with that talk about the debt.
"Yeah. Bastard almost killed me twice."
Naaza's lips pursed, her incredulous stare not waning the tiniest bit.
"Jack, what rank are your abilities?"
Her question gave me pause. She didn't know? Did Miach forget to tell her, or did he leave it up to me?
"I in everything, except for Endurance, which is H."
There was a moment of slightly awkward silence as Naaza just looked me in the eyes, face utterly blank. Then, her brow furrowed.
"How are you still alive?"
Rule of Cool, baby. I had anime and god on my side.
I shrugged. "I punched it really hard."
Another beat of silence passed as my captain kept staring dumbly, eyebrows raised in pained confusion.
"What."
"I punched it re–"
"I heard you the first time, and it still doesn't make a lick of sense." Naaza crossed her arms with a slight shake of her head. "You don't have enough Strength to kill it with your bare hands, unless you hit it a dozen times. It would've killed you before you had the chance to do that."
Wow, this had to be the longest I'd ever heard her speak at once. I was truly bringing out the best out of her, wasn't I?
"Well, I just punched it, and it died."
Her sharp gaze studied me for a quiet moment, narrowing in thought as her lips drew a thin line. "Lord Miach said something about a skill."
I nodded. As my captain, I had no problem with her knowing that much. "I also had a Limit Off."
Naaza blinked, her eyebrows knitting ever so slightly. "You had a Limit Off? On your third day with a falna?"
I met her puzzled look with a half shrug. "Yeah."
She kept staring for a moment longer before giving a brief shake of the head. "Whatever." A tired, drawn-out sigh escaped my captain as she uncrossed her arms. "I'm done trying to make sense of this, let's just move on."
My gaze swept idly across the shelves and cabinets before settling back on Naaza. "You got anything that can fix me until tomorrow without putting me in more debt?"
I seriously needed to figure a way to make more money. Dungeon diving had a shitty return on investment…
Naaza arched a dainty eyebrow, the corner of her mouth quirking faintly. "I'll have to see the wound first."
Ah, right. That made sense.
I dug a hand in my belt pouch and grabbed some coins, dropping five hundred on the counter and the rest of them back. "Before that, I'd like another healing potion. The one I bought two days ago came in handy."
Gaze briefly flicking to the money, my captain went to the back shelves, bending over to reach a low cabinet. I tried not to stare, but her juicy peach filled her skirt in a way that had my eyes glued on it for a couple seconds too long before I caught myself and looked away. Though as luck would have it, just then, Naaza turned around, potion in hand, her violet eyes boring into mine.
"If you're done staring at my ass, go take a seat." She placed the vial on the counter, gesturing briefly with her chin at the back room, arms crossed as she waited for me to get moving.
Weathering her glare, I lingered for a moment longer, a smirk tugging at my lips.
"It's a great ass."
A beat of silence passed as Naaza gave me the epitome of a deadpan, but even though her face betrayed nothing, my improved vision picked up the faint red tinging her cheeks.
My lips stretched further. Teasing her was pretty fun.
"Then maybe I should charge you money every time you stare at it."
An amused huff escaped me at her utterly dry tone. She could've easily made a career in stand up comedy back home.
"I'd starve in a week."
"Not my problem if you'd rather feast only your eyes."
The banter was even better.
"It'd be worth it." Probably.
The staring contest went on for a moment longer before Naaza rolled her eyes. "Get going unless you'd rather do it yourself."
Flashing her a cheeky smile, I stashed the potion in my bag and dragged my tired feet inside the back room, taking a seat on the nearest chair with a relieved sigh.
My captain walked in right after, fixing me with her flattest look yet. "Let's get this done before Lord Miach shows up." She stopped next to the chair, her gaze shifting to my leg. "Take off your pants."
I couldn't help a grin. "Oh my, how forward."
Naaza stared me silently in the eyes, not a single muscle twitching on her face, before letting out a tired sigh, and in that moment, I felt particularly judged.
"I'm waiting."
Yeah, maybe I should tone it down a little.
Careful not to reopen my wound, I slowly removed the bloodstained rag. As I started pulling down my pants though, they stopped budging around my injured thigh, a stab of pain making me grimace.
Fuuuck.
I looked at Naaza, lips pursed. "They got stuck."
"I expected that." Naaza pulled out a pair of scissors from a drawer. "We'll have to cut them." She snipped her scissors at the air, and my stomach sank, eyes lingering on my nice, comfy pants…
Maybe I could get them sewed?
Naaza stepped closer, uncaring of my inner turmoil, and quietly got to work. Watching her cut a long, vertical line through the pants physically pained as much as when she slowly peeled away the fabric from the wound.
A jolt of pain traveled through my thigh, blood welling up on the skin as the scab tore a little at the edges, but it barely trickled down, so I ignored it.
Naaza calmly inspected the injury, mouth drawing a thin line. "It's not too deep. You were lucky. A celch deeper, and it would've cut the artery."
A vivid image of those sharp, pitch-black claws flashed briefly through my mind, but I batted it aside with impunity. I'd nearly died, but that didn't matter, because I won. And it made me stronger for the next time.
"A couple normal potions should help it start healing, and I'll give you an ointment to apply before sleep. It'll leave a small scar, though."
A clean cut like this should heal nicely. There was no danger like with the burns from yesterday, either.
I nodded along, flashing my captain a smile. "That's fine. Girls like men with scars."
"No, they don't."
"Amazons definitely do."
Naaza met my amused look with a deadpan. "Amazons will give you more scars."
"Eh." I shrugged. "What's life without a little danger?"
"Longer," she said dryly, and a snort escaped me.
"And boring."
Naaza eyed me for a quiet moment, lips pursing faintly. "I'd advise you to stay away from Amazons, but something tells me that you wouldn't listen."
Of course not. Amazons were the best thing that happened so far to this world.
"You know me so well."
"Unfortunately." My captain sighed with a slight shake of her head, but I didn't miss how the corner of her mouth twitched, even if only briefly.
My smile grew a little wider. We might've had a rocky start, but Naaza was pretty fun.
"Wait here, I'll bring over the potions."
I nodded, and she walked out of the room, my eyes, once again, briefly drifting to her round backside and her lazily swishing, bushy tail.
She also had a really nice ass.
__________________________________________
Miach took a seat at his workbench, studying me intently for a quiet moment, face as if carved from stone and a frown curling his lips.
A faint shiver trailed down my spine.
"And you've seen nothing that could help identify the perpetrator?" Even his usually soft voice held a subtle edge to it.
It was my first time seeing Miach like this, but one thing was clear. I'd rather not get on this guy's bad side. Ever.
I shook my head. "They wore a black cloak and were fairly tall." Which didn't narrow it down much. Could be anyone except a hobbit.
Miach didn't seem satisfied with the answer, but I couldn't give him anything better. There wasn't much we could do about random assholes in the dungeon.
At least it wasn't my fault this time.
"A needle in the haystack." His mouth drew a thin line. "It leaves a bitter taste to say this, but there isn't much we can do about it."
I shrugged, smiling wryly. "Such is life, sometimes."
"Well, let's set this aside for now." A faint smile lightened Miach's stern face. "I'm sure you must be quite eager to see your status after such an eventful day."
A flicker of anticipation stirred in my chest. Boy, was that an understatement.
Smile growing a little wider, Miach stood up, gesturing to his chair. I didn't waste a second longer and immediately took a seat, taking off my shirt and draping it over the backrest.
My stomach twisted into knots as I waited for him to work his magic.
A finger glided across my back, the featherlight touch tickling my skin, nearly making me squirm. I endured it, seconds passing as Miach's hands worked on my falna, only to abruptly stop.
A quiet but deep sigh reached my ears. I couldn't see his face, but I could almost feel his stern gaze upon my back.
"I'm not happy with this, Jack."
My mouth twitched with a slight grimace at his tone.
"You've had a close brush with death."
But I won.
I glanced over my shoulder, meeting his stony look.
"It's the risk of venturing in the dungeon. Pass parades are the least predictable thing down there."
Miach kept looking me in the eye, his mouth drawing a thin line. "I hope you learned something from this."
I wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but one thing came to mind.
"To not linger inside rooms with only one exit?"
Another quiet sigh escaped the god.
"Don't rely too much on your Skills. They might have saved you this time, but you never know. You should be more cautious whenever delving in the dungeon."
I wanted to argue that, but… it wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan, just in case. Like better situational awareness, or one of those monster repellant stink bags.
I should've pulled those mobs in the hallway to begin with. Staying inside a one-exit room and taking my sweet time to loot must've tempted fate way too much. Hindsight was twenty-twenty though, and now I knew better.
"I understand."
Miach's gaze softened a little before his hands resumed their work, moving slowly along my back as I crossed my arms atop the backrest.
Not even a moment later, he spoke again, "You've gained high rank excelia."
The smile returned on my face. Sweet.
"Not surprising, considering what you fought, but for the rest…" he trailed off, hands coming to a stop. "Your rate of growth is astonishing." I could be mistaken, but it felt like his voice held a hint of pride in it.
I tried my best to sit still, though my right foot started bouncing restlessly on its own. I couldn't wait to see the numbers.
Miach pressed his hands down gently on my back, and, suddenly, I felt fuller, much fuller than before.
My stomach coiled like a tense spring, goosebumps breaking all over my arms. Those gains had to be good.
Miach placed the cold paper against my skin, seconds trickling by torturously slow as I waited patiently for a little longer.
"I'm starting to understand this skill of yours a little better."
I turned around as soon as he was done, smothering the urge to just snatch the paper from his hands.
"The potential is immense." Miach held my gaze, and I couldn't help but grin.
"Exploring it will be a wild journey."
I held out a hand, my patience at its limit.
My spine tingled with anticipation as Miach handed me the status sheet, an amused smile on his face. I brought the paper closer to my face, devouring the digits with my eyes, jaw going slack.
Holy shit.
<>
Jacob Brewer
Lv. 1
STR: I57 → H114
END: I117 → G201
DEX: I45 → I96
AGI: I48 → H102
MAG: I12 → I12
"Magic"
"Skills"
[Rule of Cool]
Yours is an impossible existence. Inspire awe, and the world is willing to suspend its disbelief. Act to impress. Impress when you act. It Just Works.
[Hissatsu Waza]
Increased odds of achieving a Limit Off. Allows the user to unleash the entire power of a Limit Off as a single strike. Active trigger.
<>
I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I quickly read through my stats.
They'd doubled. Fucking doubled.
Aside from Magic, but I could worry about that later.
I skimmed over the paper once more, just to keep the happy juices flowing, because this was progress. Three days' worth of dungeon in one fight.
I was finally catching up to Bell's own bullshit Skill.
My growth rate might not be consistently as broken as Liaris Freese, but, in the right circumstances, Rule of Cool might get me even bigger numbers than that cheat.
I could definitely do this.
Heh. Maybe I should get pass paraded more often.
My lips twitched with a suppressed smile. Maybe I shouldn't tempt fate like that.
I looked at Miach, smile still firmly affixed to my face. "I think the growth rate scales depending on how impressive the feat."
If I kept pulling off more crazy stunts like that, I might actually surpass Bell's level up record.
I crumpled the paper and put on my shirt, Miach studying me all the while, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "I hope you're not planning to put yourself in more danger just to speed up your growth."
Shit. He was onto me.
Divine intuition? Or just a finely tuned dad sense?
"Not really?" I tried, but the look on Miach's face made it clear that he wasn't buying any of it, even without a divine lie detector.
"Jack." A steely note of warning crept in his normally mild voice. "A few more ability points won't make a difference if you end up dead."
I inwardly grimaced. When he put it like that…
"You're right." I shouldn't try anything too crazy, maybe not until I was a higher level. "I won't do anything stupid. I can't become the King of Amazons if I'm dead."
Miach's gaze bored into mine for a long, quiet moment before he shook his head with a sigh, though the tiny curl of his lips took a weight off my shoulders.
"It's getting late. I'll get started on a batch of potions, but perhaps you should have an early dinner and get some rest. Wounds heal faster during sleep."
Yeah, I should probably do that. I wasn't a big fan of going to sleep with the chickens, but I felt sore all over, and my legs had only stopped screaming after I drank the second potion.
Still, I had something else I needed to do first.
"I was planning to visit the blacksmith and look for some thigh armor."
"That's wise, but don't stay out too late," Miach said, voice firm. "You need to recover your full strength for tomorrow."
I nodded, smiling as I stood up. "Shouldn't take longer than an hour."
Miach gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder. "You should hurry before they close for the day."
Crap. I should've checked the schedules beforehand…
I flashed the god another smile before hurrying out of the room.
Good thing I had Miach around.
He really was like a dad.
__________________________________________
My eyes drifted idly from one passer-by to another as I walked briskly, the last rays of sun painting the street around me in burnt red and dark orange hues.
I wasn't certain what to buy yet, but whoever manned the store could help me decide.
A metal plate strap for the front of my thigh could work. Likely not too expensive and shouldn't affect mobility either.
Chainmail also sounded like a good idea, and it shouldn't really affect mobility if I got it solely for the thighs. But that probably meant a custom order, so a lot more money.
Well, even the thigh armor plate might still cut heavily into my savings, but not dying meant I could always make more money.
A familiar looking, two-story building came into sight further down street, bringing a restless knot in my stomach. I kept walking, back straight and head held high.
I couldn't avoid The Hostess and Syr forever, and I most certainly did not want her to make any assumptions. Freya definitely knew where I lived by now, so there was no point in avoiding West Main anymore.
And speaking of the devil, just as I got nearer, a certain grey-haired maid popped out of the pub, sweeping broom in hand.
I slowed down my pace, a bright smile blooming on Syr's face as I met her gaze.
"Ah, Jack!" she said, eyes bright and warm as she stopped a few feet away from me. "What a surprise to meet you here." Yeah, definitely a surprise, uh-huh. I bet she was camping that door for the past five minutes.
"I had a feeling I might run into you." I told her with an easygoing smile. "This place is quite close to my home."
"Oh?" Syr brought a dainty finger to her cheek, lips quirking teasingly as she leaned a little closer. "Have you perhaps come to visit me?"
Nice try, Freya.
"Maybe." I met her coquettish look with a smirk. "I did say I would, didn't I?"
If she expected a blushing boy like Bell, she was in for a surprise.
A beat of silence passed as Syr briefly averted her eyes, a faint dusting of red creeping up her cheeks.
If I didn't know any better, I would've definitely bought her coy act.
When she met my gaze again, she did so shyly at first, hugging the broom closer to her chest, then, as if emboldened by the act, she smiled, warm and playful and full of hidden promise.
I found myself staring at her lips for a moment too long before I realized and looked away. She pretended not to notice, but the flash of mirth dancing in her eyes told me another story.
"Oh? Then would you like to come in for a nice, warm meal?" She fluttered her lashes as her smile once again turned flirty. "And perhaps some pleasant company?"
For a moment I considered it, temptation worming its way in my mind, but I quickly smothered it with an iron grip. I went out for a reason, and I also promised Miach.
I gave Syr an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but I'll have to decline. I need to get to Babel before the blacksmith shops close."
"Ah, that's a shame." Her smile dimmed, gaze becoming downcast. "It would've been nice to introduce you to the others, but if you're too busy…"
Her guilt-tripping attempt washed over me like water on a rock.
Still, it wouldn't be wise to leave her like this. "Tomorrow should be fine."
Syr perked up almost immediately. "Truly?"
"I don't have much planned for tomorrow night. I could drop by around seven."
I might have to skip the alchemy lesson with Miach, but I could spend a couple hours to give this thirsty goddess some attention.
"It's a promise then," she said, a tiny smile on her lips and eyes alight with mischief. "You'd better not break it."
I gave her the flattest look I could muster, though it did nothing but stoke her mirth.
Really, Freya? Really?
"I'll be there, unless some Familia emergency comes up," I said, and a bright smile lit up her face.
That divine lie detector was finally working in my favor.
As I was thinking of a way to politely end our conversation, Syr took a step closer, her shrewd eyes studying me intently. "You look like you've had a long day. Did something eventful happen in the dungeon?"
Did I really look that tired? Or was this just Freya being cheeky as usual?
"You could say that." I told her with a smile, and she puffed her cheeks cutely.
If she wanted to poke fun at me, turnabout was fair play.
"Do you go in the dungeon with a party?"
I shook my head. "No, I've been delving alone, and it's been going alright." I wouldn't mind trying a group, but looking for people took time I could just spend getting more xp.
Besides, with my current growth rate, I'd outlevel them too fast.
Propping herself on her broom, Syr leaned a little closer, lips curling ever so slightly. "I think I'm hearing a 'but' there."
I rolled my eyes inwardly. Why did she even bother with this when she likely already knew? Just because she found it funny?
These gods…
I shrugged lightly. "In case of mistakes, it's a lot more unforgiving."
"Oh my." She straightened herself, hands gripping tighter at the wooden handle. "Did something bad happen?"
A hint of concern flashed across her face, and I nearly let out a scoff. This shameless brat, acting like she hadn't caught everything in 4K already.
"I wouldn't call it bad, but it's the reason I'm going shopping so late." Mornings were for farming xp, not shopping. Everybody rushed to find a good spot at that hour.
I'd better not miss my armor because of this cheeky goddess…
"A new weapon? Or perhaps some armor?" A sheepish smile found its way on her lips as Syr tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "If you don't mind me asking."
When she could easily spy on me on a whim? Nice joke, Freya.
I pursed my lips, though, as I kept watching her, a sliver of doubt wormed itself in my mind. It could all be just an act, but… she was giving as many mixed signals as I was picking up hints.
Did she really know about earlier, or was she just genuinely curious?
"Armor. I have a breastplate, but that didn't cut it today."
Syr's brow furrowed, that worried look from before returning in her eyes. "Why? What happened?"
"Had to deal with a pass parade. It was a little tough, but I won." And I did it in style.
She gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. "You didn't get injured, did you?"
Man, she was a great actress.
Unless this was all genuine, and I was just gaslighting myself, in which case…
Yeah, no. I shoved that thought aside.
Fuck this shit. I wasn't going to play any big brain 4D chess with Freya when I could just do my thing and dazzle her with my Rule of Cool bullshit. I just had to be patient. Dealing with Freya was playing the long game.
"Just some scratches and a flesh wound." I said, gesturing vaguely with a hand.
Syr went quiet, her eyes searching my face for a quiet moment, before a smile graced her lips. "You must've looked very heroic while slaying the monsters."
That nearly got a laugh out of me. What was with these gods and their obsession with heroes?
"I'm not sure about the heroic part, but I've slayed them good." Doom Slayer would definitely approve.
Her brows climbed up a fraction, a playful glint dancing in her eyes. "Well, that's for the fair maiden to decide." Maiden? What maiden? "I'd like to hear the full story tomorrow, if you don't mind."
I met her coy look with a smirk. "I'll regale you with the tale over dinner, if you're not too busy."
"Another promise?" Her lips curled in mischief. "I'll make sure to finish my work early and take the night off, so we can have a pleasant talk."
Poor Ryu. She'd have to pick up Syr's part of the chores, too, wouldn't she?
I threw a brief glance around before offering Syr an apologetic smile. "Well, I have to get going now." Fuck subtlety, it's been long enough. I'd have to run the rest of the way, just in case. "Bye, Syr. See you tomorrow night."
A flash of disappointment crossed her beautiful face for an instant, but she quickly masked it with another playful smile. "I'll be waiting, Jack." She hugged her broom a little closer to her chest, flashing me a wink as I walked away.
My gaze drifted to the giant spire looming in the distance, mouth drawing a thin line as I broke into a jog.
Dinner date with a yandere goddess, huh?
Great. Just what I needed.
Part of me wanted to complain, but…
A tiny smile came to my face.
It was kinda exciting.
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