Bell walked inside his home. Body relaxed. Mind no longer on old matters.
He walked in the house. Voices resounded across the hall. Goddess Hestia animatedly talking with Goddess Astraea.
His steps were firm on the floor. Making the surrounding voices suddenly go quiet.
Bell walked to the Goddesses. His hand greeted them in a waving motion.
"Hey...Goddess Astraea...Goddess Hestia. I'm back from the dungeon." He spoke with a gentle smile while walking closer to them.
Goddess Astraea got up from her wooden chair. Walking in circles around him to check his body for any injuries.
Goddess Hestia ran up to him. Her hands now holding onto his hand. Her voice coming out more excited than before.
"Bell...Bell... How was your dungeon dive today? Did you run into any special monsters!? or other adventurers!?" Hestia held onto his hand insistently. Feeling curious and interested.
"Why do you ask, Goddess Hestia?" Bell asked in confusion.
He was not even a part of her Familia. Why did she want to know his experience in the dungeon?
"I want to hear about your experience to help my own Familia member when I have one...You'll help me right? Right?" Hestia spoke her mind without any filters. Her twin tails moving along with the movement of her head.
'What is this adorable creature?'
Bell gulped. About to reply. When he felt a chill run down his spine.
He looked at Goddess Astraea standing besides him. Her smile was gentle and considerate. But, then why did he feel so cold? As if a knife was pressed against his neck.
His throat refused to move. After all, he didn't want to become a second Makoto Ito from *School Days*.
"Hesita...Let my child sit for a bit before trying to jump at him with questions. He has just come back from diving in the dungeon. He needs some rest." Goddess Astraea broke the silence with her voice. Gentle and considerate as always. Though with a possessive undertone.
"B-But...Astraea..." Goddess Hestia tried to protest. But felt the same chill run down her back. Her mouth shutting quicker than Bell.
Goddess Astraea then dragged him to a wooden chair and had him sit to rest. His body followed without protest.
She sat besides him on another wooden chair. Goddess Hestia taking the seat opposite to them.
"So Bell...Tell me about what you went through today." Goddess Astraea asked while intertwining her hand with his. Her voice was encouraging and reassuring.
Goddess Hestia felt a vein pop on her temple. That was the same thing she was asking. So, If she asked it was not fine. But if Astraea asked it was fine?
Bell kept his focus on Goddess Astraea. He narrated about everything except impersonating Evilus and provoking the Loki and Freya Familia's.
"I see... Your Wheel is really something else. Come on, let's update your Falna right now." Goddess Astraea was shocked after hearing about how he dived till the 8th floor of the dungeon and killed hundreds of monsters there.
Now, she was more curious about how high his stats might rise.
"Hestia... You go out for a bit. I'll update my child's Falna." Goddess Astraea spoke to Goddess Hestia. While Bell started to take off his tunic.
Goddess Hestia grumbled under her breath but went out for a bit nonetheless.
Bell sat up. His back now towards Goddess Astraea.
She bought a needle from nearby and pricked her finger with it. Spreading her blood across the engravings on his back.
Blue light flared to life as the words in Godly script started to change.
Goddess Astraea was dumbfounded at his Falna. Feeling she might still be asleep. She pinched her cheek. Pain telling her this was not a hallucination.
She copied his Falna with shaking hands. Handing the copied data to him. Her voice a little unsteady.
[Name: Bell Cranel
Attributes -
Strength: 896 [A]
Endurance: 999 [S]
Dexterity: 754 [B]
Agility: 999 [S]
Magic: 328 [F]
Magic:
Grega (Evolveable) -
Fire magic. Can become a second sun at it's peak.
Skills:
Eight Handled Wheel -
Adaptation to any and all p*******a.
Ittou Shura -
Burn life, transcend limits, for a single minute, become a One-Blade Shura.
Instinct (A) -
Your Instincts are the sharpest. In combat, You will see a path to victory.
Super Regeneration -
Your body regenerates from any sort of injuries. Even missing limbs. At incredible speeds.
Asura Soul Reaping (Sealed)]
He could see it in his stats. His body...or rather Falna was about to hit it's limit.
Seems like he'd have to talk to Goddess Astraea about another Falna soon. We'll see how it goes from there.
Bell concluded after having a look at his stats. His mind already thinking about ways to go even further than the original Bell went.
But before that.
It was time to rest and accompany his Goddess... and that troublemaker Goddess Hestia.
____________ 1 Day Later ___________
Bell walked across the streets of Orario... straight towards the dungeon.
This time. He wanted to make sure all his stats reached their limit. While also polishing his foundation to perfection.
His stride was purposeful. Accompanied by the gaze of a stalker Goddess from Babel.
He really felt creeped out by her. Whenever he went out. Her gaze always followed him. Like some kind of obsessed yandere waiting all day just to stalk him when he came out.
Bell ignored that blatant gaze and reached the tower. After which he went down.
1st floor...2nd floor...4th floor...6th floor...8th floor...
9th floor...10th floor.
10th floor of the dungeon.
Bell walked calmly. Having bulldozed from the upper floors all the way here without using any techniques.
A Eight Handled Wheel tattoo calmly rested between his brows.
Huge pig headed monsters. 3 meters tall. With huge wooden clubs in their hands. Surrounded him.
Orcs.
His gaze sharpened. Instincts roaring in focus. Golden pathways flashed across his awareness.
He took a single step forward among the growls of orcs. His heartbeat resounded across the area. His footsteps falling in synchronisation with the beats of his heart.
First step.
Thump. Step
The pressure in his surroundings increased. Growls of orcs were drowned under the drumming of his heart.
Second step.
Thump. Step
His heart beat faster than an engine. Beating against the oppressive dungeon in defiance. The pressure surrounding his form kept pushing upwards.
Third step
Thump. Step
His blood roared in his veins with brutal speed. Crushing fragile capillaries and valves. Which were regenerated moments later. Golden pathways kept increasing across his awareness.
[Ittou Shura] was merely rumbling in the first gear. Yet the pressure he released made the air rush away from him.
The growls of orcs died down. Their legs stiffening. Fear flashing across their eyes.
Liberator was unleashed among them like a unsheathed storm. Displacing air as it cut through the atmosphere.
The orcs attacked him in desperation. One ran straight towards him from the front. Wanting to crush his small build. Another swung it's large wooden club at his head from the left.
His mind flashed across countless visions of dodging, retaliating, redirecting.
He smiled. His elbow moved in a semi circle. It landed on the wooden club coming from his left. Pushing it sideways. Redirecting the force and changing the clubs direction by a fraction.
It slid behind his shoulder. Missing it by a inch.
Liberator climbed upwards in response. His core tightened. His centre of gravity became a immovable rock. His leg clutched the floor. Liberator plunged straight into the sternum of the orc running towards him from ahead.
His body jerked mid motion. Dragging the orc ahead of him sideways with liberator to slam it into the orc at his left.
BOOM!
Both orcs collided against each other. Sounds of bones breaking and groans of pain resounded. They tumbled to the ground like sacks on top of each other.
Liberator flashed from above. Plunging through both of their hearts at once.
He pulled his sword out and flicked the blood off it casually.
His sword sung. Perfectly following the golden paths across his awareness.
Flashing. Cutting. Tearing. Swinging.
A large amount of orc bodies surrounded him after he finished.
Though, a single orc seemed to be feigning death. As Bell walked across the corpses of orcs. That smart orc got up from the ground. It flung it's club towards his side unexpectedly and without any warning.
Snort.
Bell snorted. His foot coming to rest on the back thigh of a orc corpse beneath his feet.
He pushed his foot deeper. Applying tremendous force on the backside of the thigh. Sounds of bones breaking resounded. It's leg joint was put under tremendous pressure. It's leg directly jerked, standing vertically upwards for a moment.
The club flying towards his side collided with it. The direction of the club was deflected. He took a step back. Watching the dead orcs leg collide against it's own thigh with residual force.
[Grega]
The last orc alive was sent to accompany it's brethren in the afterlife by [Grega].
Bell walked deeper into the dungeon.
11th floor of the dungeon.
Silverbacks surrounded him. Growling at him. Bell was about to start again when his instincts scream at him. Even more than it had rang against the Viola.
His face turned grave. Turning towards the left.
He heard human footsteps coming from there.
A drop of sweat dripped down his brow. The wheel tattoo started to shake even before the fight started.
A silhouette with golden hair and and golden eyes came in view.
Ais Wallenstein.
The Sword Princess.
[Ittou Shura] roared to top gear. His strength soaring higher...higher...and higher.
The golden paths across his awareness were suppressed to the limit against her.
His body was torn apart from inside by [Ittou Shura] running faster than it ever had. [Super Regeneration] closed the newly made internal injuries.
Bell's aura kept climbing.
Peak Level 1 — Level 2 — Peak Level 2 — Level 3 — Low Level 3.
Fire balls of [Grega] materialised behind his back. Revolving in a frantic circle.
Liberator was pointed towards her in a defensive position.
Bell readied every card he had. His instincts screamed a fight was imminent.
Ais looked at him with a blank expression.
He looked back at Ais with his own indifferent one.
Both waited for the other to move first.
That was when...Bell spoke.
"Secret technique...."
The Sword Princesses' hold over her sword tightened in caution.
The fire balls behind him were launched...
Not at Ais. At the ground surrounding her.
Dust spread everywhere. Both of them became blind for a moment.
By the time dust settled. Ais looked forward.
Yet there was no one there.
Bell had already run away.
8th floor of the dungeon.
Bell finished his words after running all the way here.
"Nigerundayo..."
Did you think he would fight the Sword Princess?
And get his ass handed to him?
Nah man...I'll adapt.
This time without the wheel.