Familia Myth: Journey to Hero Chapter 43

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Familia Myth: Journey to Hero! With the Apollo Familia Home sold and the Hestia Familia out of debt, along with two new Familia members, it’s time to head back into the Dungeon and continue taking on the Middle Floors! As the larger and stronger Hestia Familia continues their dungeon crawling, some news reaches Mikoto that may well begin another confrontation.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 43 – Return to the Dungeon, Unexpected News

On the Fifteenth Floor of the Dungeon, the Hestia Familia were making their way through the twisting labyrinth of caverns, following the routes mapped out as they worked to explore the majority of the Floor before descending to the Sixteenth Floor.

“If we stay on this route, we should come to an area where we can gather materials, assuming they haven’t been cleared out recently.” Lili said as she checked the map again, comparing it to their current location.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky, Little Lili.” Welf chuckled a bit. He certainly wouldn’t mind getting his hands on some Blood Onyx. The material was only found in the Middle Floors and he’d love to try working with it.

With Cassandra and Daphne now part of the Hestia Familia and joining the Party, the formation had become much more secure and formidable for the Middle Floors. Bell, Mikoto, and Welf maintained the font line, Lili stayed in the center with Cassandra as Lili was the Supporter and Cassandra the Healer, while Daphne took up the rea position while traveling to keep guard. In actual combat, the Party changed up their positions depending on the number and types of enemies as well as the terrain of the Dungeon.

Daphne, having had experience as a commander, had been quite the boon to Lili who was starting o grow into a capable Party commander herself. With both of them watching over the Party, warnings about Monsters approaching came swiftly as did instructions on who should go where to maintain the best formation possible.

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

The Dungeon walls shattered in five different places and the Monsters spawned were large, hulking forms that let out familiar roars.

“MOOOAAARRRGGGHHH!!!” The five Minotaurs bellowed loudly as they turned their red eyes onto the Hestia Familia.

“Two ahead, one on each side, one behind!” Lili and Daphne called out almost simultaneously.

“Daphne, rearguard! Welf to the left, Mikoto to the right! Bell, forward!” Lili quickly rattled off as the Party moved to take on their individual tasks. She and Cassandra stayed in the center, eyeing the course of the battle and waiting to provide support or healing.

Bell was nearly a blur as he lunged forward with his spear, the rapier-like blade stabbing through the Minotaur on the right, piercing its throat. Pulling his spear back opened up the hole and blood poured out like a river as the Minotaur futilely grasped at its throat before falling to the floor, dead. With a duck to avoid the wild swing from the second Minotaur’s fist, Bell spun and slashed open the Monster’s chest in a spray of blood before finishing it off with a thrust straight through its left eye and out the back of its head. The Minotaur collapsed to the rocky floor with a thud as soon as Bell pulled back his spear. “Does anyone need help?” He was quick to check on his other Party members.

“Hup!” Mikoto slashed the Minotaur’s arm as it swung a punch at her. A backstep allowed her to dodge the follow up swing with it uninjured arm. Stepping into the Minotaur’s guard, Mikoto’s blade flashed and the Raging Bull Type Monster found its neck slashed open. Not taking any chances, Mikoto brought her sword down and slashed the Minotaur’s thigh, disabling its leg as it collapsed and then bled out. “I’ve taken down my target.” She announced and turned to assist the others.

Welf parried the Minotaur’s fist with his greatsword, letting the powerful blow glance off his blade, before pivoting into the Minotaur’s wide open side. “Yah!” Welf roared as he planted his feet and swung his huge sword with force, the heavier blade cutting straight through the Minotaur’s side and leaving a gaping wound behind that bled like a waterfall.

“MOOAUUGGHH!!!” The Minotaur staggered and lunged at Welf.

Crack

Only for its skull to be cleaved in two by Welf’s overhead swing, bringing down the weight and sharp edge of his greatsword with all his strength.

As the Minotaur collapsed to the ground, Welf grinned at his noticeable improvement since the last time he’d faced off against a Minotaur. “That insane Amazon training really helped out.” He grinned as he looked at the dead Minotaur.

Daphne dodge around the wild swings of the Minotaur coming from behind the Party. A punch was not only dodged, but countered, as her blade slashed its bicep and disabled the arm. A deft stab through the Minotaur’s thigh had it collapse to one knee. Daphne pulled her blade out of the Minotaur’s thigh to avoid a powerful swing from its good arm, but she pivoted around the Minotaur’s side, taking advantage of the am that she’d disabled, and stabbed her sword through the Minotaur’s back and out its chest, piercing its heart. “The rear is secure!” Daphne called out as the Minotaur collapsed forward.

“Does anyone need healing?” Cassandra asked first and foremost as the Party reformed. When everyone informed her that they’d made it through their sudden fights without injury, Cassandra couldn’t help but smile in relief. While she could heal—quite well, in fact, even if Cassandra herself didn’t really think so—it was always best when the Party didn’t get injured at all.

“Lili is glad that everyone is okay.” Lili smiled at everyone. “We’re really starting to work well as a Party.” She grinned while setting down her large backpack and pulling out her harvesting tools. “Could you all bring the other Minotaurs over here?” Lili requested as she got her larger knife ready and started cutting into the nearest Minotaur.

“Sure thing, Lili.” Bell said as he went and grabbed both of the Minotaurs he’d slayed by their strong horns and dragged them closer to where Lili was working. The weight of the large Monsters wasn’t small, but as a Level 3, Bell could manage it without much difficulty.

Welf chuckled as he dragged his own Minotaur over. “Get us a horn or two, if you can, Little Lili! I need to make some new gear for our new members.” He smiled at Daphne and Cassandra.

“Th-Thank you…” Cassandra had a small smile on her face at Welf’s words. Hestia Familia looked after each other like family, a far cry from Apollo Familia where everything was done for Apollo’s latest ‘passion’. Even equipment was specially created for each member and given to them like it was completely normal.

Daphne felt the same as Cassandra, still adjusting to the warmth and family-style of the Hestia Familia as she dragged her Minotaur over with a small grunt from the Monster’s weight. “We appreciate that, Welf.” The lack of formality requested by the Hestia Familia members was also part of the Familia’s charm as everyone became closer much faster. “I can tell that you make good equipment just by looking.” Daphen said, her golden eyes once more glancing over the armor that Bell, Lili, Welf, and Mikoto wore, especially the greaves which she knew had a minor enchantment for speed.

“Ah, thanks! Nothing a smith likes hearing more than praise for their work.” Welf grinned at his fellow redhead.

“Here’s the last one, Lili-dono.” Mikoto smiled as she laid the Minotaur that she’d slain next to the others.

Lili returned the smile to Mikoto as she briefly paused her work. “Thank you, Mikoto.” With a deft pull, Lili removed the first Magic Stone and the Minotaur began to disintegrate into white ashes. “YES!!!” Lili’s loud cheer nearly startled the Party, until the Prum picked up the Drop Item left behind, or rather the two Drop Items left behind. “Hehehe! These should sell well~” Lili grinned happily as she held up the two Minotaur Horns to show everyone.

Bell smiled at how happy Lili was and even glanced at the other Drop Item that she’d managed to harvest with help from her Skill. “And you got the Minotaur Hide already too.” That was every Drop Item that a Minotaur produced and the Hestia Familia had managed to get all three from one Monster.

“You’re very skilled, Lili…” Cassandra said, clearly impressed by Lili’s skill in harvesting Monsters.

“The Familia won’t have to worry about money with Lili-dono as our Supporter.” Mikoto praised with a smile, making Lili grin brightly.

While everyone formed up around Lili to protect her as she worked on the rest of the Minotaurs, the mood of the Party was good. They were making good progress through the Dungeon, their teamwork as a Party was coming together quite well, and they were getting quite a few Drop Items along with their Magic Stones thanks to Lili’s Harvester Skill and—unknowingly—Bell’s Luck Developmental Ability.

-Later-

The large cavern was a dead end, but the Hestia Familia weren’t bothered by that at all. Instead their eyes were drawn to the various crystals protruding for the wall of the Dungeon. It was a rather amazing sight for the ‘Cave Labyrinth’ of the Middle Floors. It also hinted that perhaps the materials in this section may have replenished, which would be another boon for the Hestia Familia if they could collect some.

Tink

Tink

“What’s that?” Bell was instantly on guard as he heard the light sound, like something hard lightly tapping on the crystals around them. He held his spear at the ready, his rubellite eyes scanning for Monsters or, potentially, other Adventurers.

“I don’t see anything.” Mikoto said quietly, looking around the various crystals.

Welf, greatsword held out in front of him, scanned the crystals in front of him with his eyes. “There’s nothing my way either.”

Daphne narrowed her eyes as she tried to find the source of the noise. “I don’t see anything behind us.”

Lili—currently a Chienthrope—sniffed the air and her dog ears twitched a little before she shot her head upward to look higher up the wall. “THERE!!!” She pointed out and everyone followed where she was pointing.

A large insect Monster that looked like a praying mantis, though its glittering body almost appeared to be made of crystal, was perched atop the larger crystals further up the wall. It observed the Party with its large eyes, the previous ‘tink’ sound heard again as it moved one of its barbed legs and placed the limb on another crystal.

“A Crystal Mantis…” Cassandra identified the Rare Monster, having heard of them before, but never seen one until now.

The Crystal Mantis moved, its wings spreading in the blink of an eye and fluttering so fast they were almost unseen as it shot directly at the Party.

“MOVE!!!” Bell gave the order as Party Leader and everyone split in two directions.

The lashing forelimbs of the Crystal Mantis swiped through the air, trying to grab hold of anyone they could reach. But with the Party having split in two directions, everyone was out of range and the Monster took a second to decide which smaller group to go after.

“Firebolt!” Bell cast with his left hand, the fast-moving flames hitting the Crystal Mantis. “Huh?!” The flames practically slid around the Monster’s crystal body as the massive insect turned to face Bell and Mikoto.

“Crystal Mantis has one of the highest magic resistances of all Monsters in the Middle Floors!” Daphne called out to Bell, standing between the Crystal Mantis and where Lili and Cassandra were.

“Then we’ve got to take it down with weapons!” Welf, standing next to Daphne and protecting Lili and Cassandra, said loudly as he readied his greatsword.

“SKREEEE!!!” The Crystal Mantis screeched loudly before it lunged straight at Bell and Mikoto, its large, barbed forelimbs merely a blur to the eye.

Clang

Clang

“Ngh!” Mikoto grunted slightly as she parried the fast attack with her sword. “It’s fast, but the strikes lack the force of a Minotaur’s!” She called out, letting the others know that the danger of the Crystal Mantis lied in its speed and the sharp barbs of its forelimbs, each barb more than long enough to stab through the average person.

Bell, having parried with his spear, spun his weapon and slammed the forelimb into the ground, pinning it down with all his Level 3 strength. “Welf! Daphne!”

Welf and Daphne, recognizing the signal to attack, rushed in with their swords.

“Hyah!” Daphne thrust her sword forward, cracking part of the Crystal Mantis’s exoskeleton before her blade nearly bounced off.

“Take this!” Welf swung his greatsword straight into one of the Crystal Mantis’s legs.

Crack

The crystal-like limb shattered from the heavier weight, the greatsword acting more like flanged blunt object than a blade.

“SKREEEE!!!” The Crystal Mantis screeched at the loss of the lower part of one of its legs, its wings flaring wide as it tried to force Welf, and Daphne back at the same time it swung its free forelimb at Bell.

Clang

Mikoto intercepted the strike, knocking he forelimb aside with her sword. “I won’t let you!” She told the Crystal Mantis as she guarded Bell while he kept the Monster pinned.

Bomf

A large cloud of toxic purple dust covered the Crystal Mantis’s head, obscuring tis vision.

“Got it!” Lili cheered a bit as her Purple Moth Poison Grenade had hit exactly where she’d been aiming. Her Merídio Range Skill greatly boosting her range and accuracy with projectiles by having five other members of the Hestia Familia near her.

“SKREEEE!!!” The Crystal Matis thrashed, swing its free forelimb around rapidly, leaving only a blur behind and knocking Mikoto backwards. Welf was forced to block a stroke from one of the thrashing legs with his greatsword and Daphne barley managed to dodge a kick from a barbed leg that would’ve torn through her flesh if she’d tried to block.

“Rise!” Bell incanted and felt the rush of his stats increasing as he used his Vesta Enhance spell. With a powerful stomp, he kicked off the forelimb he’d been pinning down and launched himself at the partially blinded Crystal Mantis. “Yah!” He swung his spear and managed to ledge the blade in the joint at the base of the previously pinned forelimb. “Firebolt!” He cast his spell into his spear and the blade lodged inside the Crystal Mantis’s joint exploded into flames, blowing the forelimb off entirely.

The Crystal Matis reeled in pain, skittering backwards and buzzing its wings as if to take flight. “SKREEEE!!!”

“No you don’t!” Welf slammed his sword down on the abdomen of the Crystal Mantis, shattering more of its crystal-like body.

Daphne rushed forward and leapt upwards bringing her sword down on one of the buzzing wings. “Hyah!” She cut through the wing, ignoring the cuts that she sustained from the rapidly moving crystal-like chitin.

Mikoto moved in, leaning forward to lower her height and reduce her chance of getting struck by the flailing forelimb of the Crystal Mantis. With a strong leap and a flash of her blade, she struck the base of the remaining forelimb, cracking part of the crystal-like exoskeleton and making the forelimb go still for a moment.

“YAH!!!” Bell, seeing the remaining forelimb disabled, blitzed forward, his spear at the ready, and leapt from the ground in a blur of white, red, and black as he thrust his spear forward, and stabbed it through the joint connecting he Crystal Mantis’s head to its thorax. With a twist of his body, he severed the insect Monster’s head and sent it falling to the ground as the rest of the body briefly twitched and spasmed before falling still. “Is everyone okay?” He asked the second that he landed back on the ground.

“A little cut up, but I’m alright.” Daphne said, even as Cassandra was already rushing over to her.

“Just a little bruising.” Welf said, lightly patting his arms from the thrashing of the Crystal Mantis.

Mikoto rubbed her left shoulder. “A bit sore from blocking its attacks, but I’m alright.”

“Just a moment, please gather around.” Cassandra said as she held her staff, the blue orb atop it now emblazoned with the emblem of the Hestia Familia. “Heavenly light, once rejected. Merciful arms that save my shallow self. Rescue my miserable companions in place of my words that cannot reach them. Oh sunlight, may you beat back ruin. Soullight.” Casandra chanted before the blue orb atop her staff glowed and the are around the Hestia Familia glowed softly, healing the injuries of Daphne, Welf, and Mikoto while restoring Bell’s stamina.

Welf let out a sigh of relief. “Definitely liking this.” He chuckled as his soreness vanished along with his bruises.

“Your magic is quite wonderful, Cassandra-dono.” Mikoto smiled at Cassandra as her own soreness faded away.

“Cassandra was the best healer in Apollo Familia.” Daphne said with a small smile for her friend. “Even if she doesn’t think so, herself.”

Cassandra was blushing cutely at all of the praise coming her way, not used to so much positivity. “I… I’m just doing what I can.”

Bell smiled at Cassandra. “And what you can do is amazing.”

“Th-Thank you…” Cassandra couldn’t stop the little smile that bloomed on her lips as her spell ended and everyone gathered around the slain Crystal Mantis.

Lili placed her large backpack down next to the fallen Monster and pulled out her tools eagerly. “Lili will do her best for this special, Rare Monster!” Her eyes sparkled as she looked over the crystal-like body, trying to calculate how much each piece would be worth.

“Your ‘loot goblin’ side is showing, Little Lili.” Welf pointed out with a grin.

The fact that Lili completely ignored the playful jibe as she got to work only proved just how focused she was.

-Later-

“Hehehe~” Lil marveled at the Crystal Mantis Wing that she held in her hands. It was large, easily taller than she was, and made of beautiful crystal that was also highly magic resistant. Her eyes couldn’t and wouldn’t stop sparkling as she marveled at their newest Drop Item.

“Lili…you okay?” Bell asked his girlfriend carefully.

Lili turned to Bell with a beaming smile. “Lili is excellent, Master Bell!”

Mikoto and Daphne looked the Drop Item over as well. It was the first time that either had seen such a rare item and it was quite beautiful to look at.

“Too bad we were only able to get the one.” Daphne said as she looked back at the pile of white ashes that used to be the Crystal Mantis. “But still, it’s a rare item, so we got lucky.”

“I’ve not worked with crystal at all…” Welf said, holding a large handful of fragments from the Crystal Mantis’s body. “…but maybe I could work them into something? As long as I can keep that high magic resistance, it would be a good defensive piece at the very least.” Already Welf’s artisan mind was coming up with ideas for his share of the crystal remnants.

Cassandra looked around at the walls. “Sh-Should we try to find some material?” That was part of the reason that they’d come this far into the Fifteenth Floor.

Bell looked at the walls as well. “I guess we should, since we made the trip.” He looked over at Welf as the blacksmith poured his large handful of crystal fragments into a sack that Lili was holding open for him. “Welf, can you tell if there are any materials worth collecting in the walls here?”

Welf walked over with a grin. “Sure thing, Bell! Just give me a second to check.” He moved over to the walls and started examining them by eye.

“If we can acquire materials too, then this trip will be quite lucrative for a normal day in the Dungeon.” Mikoto said with a smile, pleased at their success. She considered offering up a portion of her share to Takemikazuchi, but was fairly sure that her original patron deity wouldn’t accept it.

-Guild ~ Late Afternoon-

“I see that your Party had quite a lucrative day, Bell.” Eina smiled at Bell as she took down her report on Bell’s day in the Dungeon. “The Exchange would like the Crystal Mantis Wing that you brought in.” She giggled slightly, having watched Lily reject even one of the Senior Appraisers when the man had come over to make an offer.

“Lili wants to sell it to either Goibniu Familia or Hephaestus Familia to try and make as much money from the Wing as possible.” Bell had a grin as well, seeing Lili practically acting like a guard dog for the large Drop Item sticking out of her backpack.

Eina finished writing the last of the report, making sure to emphasize that the large cavern that Bell’s Party had entered had been cleared of materials so that the notice could be put on the large board in the middle of the Guild. It would let other Parties know that there was no reason to go to that part of the Fifteenth Floor to look for materials like Blood Onyx for the next week or so. “Heading home after this, or are you going to be selling materials first?” Eina asked Bell with a soft smile.

“Selling materials first, then home.” Bell confirmed with a grin. “Now that we’re out of debt, we need to make as much money as we can for ourselves and continue the building of the Hearth District.”

“I’ll see you at home then.” Eina smiled as she leaned forward and kissed Bell warmly.

Bell returned the kiss for a long moment before pulling away from Eina’s lips. “See you at home, Eina.” He said softly, looking into her green eyes with love and affection.

With a quick hug, Eina and Bell separated with Eina going to file the new report and get the announcement up on the large bulletin board. Bell joined up with the Party and they all headed out to sell their loot from the dungeon.

“You said the Adamantite that we found wasn’t very pure, right?” Daphne asked as she looked at Welf.

“Yeah, Adamantite can technically be found on every Floor of the Dungeon, at least in small amounts. But the lower the Floor you get it from, the purer it is and the stronger it will be.” Welf explained the normally valuable and second most durable material known to exist in the Dungeon. “The Adamantite from the Upper Floors isn’t much better than iron or steel. In the Middle Floors, it’s pure enough to make an alloy called Dir Adamantite, which is durable, but still not as strong as pure Adamantite. The purest Adamantite comes from the Lower Floors and Deep Floors, that stuff is almost unbreakable, even for First-Class Adventurers.”

Mikoto looked at Lili’s large backpack thoughtfully. “Are you saying that the Adamantite we brought back isn’t valuable?”

Welf waved off that concern with a laugh. “No, No, it’s valuable! Just don’t expect to make a fortune on it by itself. Making the Dir Adamantite alloy requires the proper method and some experience, so they’ll buy our Adamantite for a decent price, and then make it into Dir Adamantite for forging items. As they’re buying what amounts to a raw material, the price they’ll be willing to pay us will naturally decrease a bit.” He shrugged, knowing that as a blacksmith he’d never pay top Valis for raw materials that he’d have to spend extra time on to make into a usable alloy before he could even forge with it.

“Between the Hephaestus Familia and the Goibniu Familia, which do you think we’ll pay the most for this Crystal Mantis Wing?” Lili asked with a big grin, her eyes sparkling once more.

“Wouldn’t Welf be a little…biased?” Cassandra asked, genuinely curious since she knew that Welf was originally from Hephaestus Familia.

Wellf looked at Cassandra with a playful grin. “Hey now…”

Lili went with Cassandra’s words immediately, just to mess with Welf. “You’re right, Cassandra! To Goibniu Familia!” She pointed the way with a grin.

“Hey, Little Lili!” Welf said with a half-hearted glare at the Prum. “I didn’t say anything yet!”

What would follow was quite a bit of haggling at the ‘Three Hammers Forge’ of the Goibniu Familia as Lili refused to part with the Crystal Mantis Wing without getting the absolute most Valis possible.

-Hearth Household ~ Evening-

After another wonderful dinner, Hestia was giving Status Updates to everyone after another day spent dungeon crawling. The women went first, all entering Hestia’s office and closing the door behind them.

“You’re first, Lili.” Hestia smiled as Lili sat in front of her after removing her shirt.

“Lili is ready.” Lili grinned at Hestia over her shoulder.

Hestia let a single drop of her blood fall onto Lili’s back and the familiar blue-white glow appeared along with Lili’s Falna. As Hestia watched the Excelia, seeing the events of the day through Lili’s eyes. “So, that’s where all of the Valis you brought back came from.” Hestia mentioned with a giggle as she saw when Lili acquired the Crystal Mantis Wing.

“Lili did her best!” Lili giggled, both from harvesting the Drop Item and then haggling the best price that she could get for it.

Hestia moved the Excelia into Lili’s Basic Abilities and watched the numbers grow. Once the numbers stopped rising, Hestia placed a blank paper onto Lili’s back and copied the numbers over with a twirl of her fingertip. “Here you go, Lili.” She handed the Status Update to Lili and then locked up the Prum’s Falna securely.

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 2

Strength – H 191 > G 200

Defense – H 186 > H 194

Dexterity – G 227 > G 240

Agility – G 220 > G 229

Magic – G 223 > G 231

-Magic-

Cinder Ella

Transformation Magic – Incantation: ‘Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.’

(Enables the user to transform into anything around their own size.)

-Skills-

Artel Assist – When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, this skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

Harvester – When breaking down monsters the user is more likely to acquire a Drop Item and higher quality ones too. Also enables the harvesting of other monster parts for material.

Merídio Range – User’s attacks with projectiles increase in both power and accuracy. The increase is proportional to how many of their Familia are with them.

-Developmental Ability-

Abnormal Resistance – I

-Status-

“Not too bad.” Lili smiled at her growth. “Not nearly as much as I got from the crazy training from before the War Game, but Lili prefers the ‘slow and steady’ way compared to the ‘trial by fire’ way.” She still shivered slightly remembering the training against Tione, Tiona, Ryu, and Ais.

Hestia hugged Lili from behind and kissed her cheek. “You’re doing great, Lili. In time you’ll definitely Level Up again.”

Lili put her shirt back on with a happy little grin. “Thank you, Hestia.” She moved off the stool in front of Hestia and burned her Status Update while Mikoto sat down next.

“Thank you, Hestia-sama.” Mikoto thanked Hestia with a thankful smile as she moved her long ponytail over her shoulder to expose her bare back.

Hestia unlocked Mikoto’s Falna with the blood on her finger, “You’re welcome, Mikoto.” She grinned as she started watching the Excelia, seeing the day’s ‘adventure’ through Mikoto’s eyes this time.

Mikoto felt Hestia’s finger moving across her back before a paper was placed against her skin. When the paper was handed to her over her shoulder, Mikoto took it with a little smile.

-Status-

Mikoto Yamato

Level 2

Strength – H 187 > G 202

Defense – H 185 > H 198

Dexterity – G 228 > G 243

Agility – G 206 > G 220

Magic – I 80 > I 83

-Magic-

Futsunomitama

Gravity Magic – Incantation: ‘I respectfully speak to you, my War God that can break through anything, lead me from the precious heaven. Give my petty body divine power of your grand body. Rescue them light of purification, sword of crushing evil. Sweep sword of suppression, sacred sword of conquest. It arrives here now by my order. Descend from heaven, rule the earth - shinbu tousei.’

(Heavy gravity magic that crushes a given area.)

-Skills-

Yatanokurogarasu – Enemy search within effect range, also reveals hidden enemies. Effect is exclusive for monsters and only works on monsters that the user has encountered before. Active Trigger.

Yatanoshirogarasu – Familia member search within effect range. Only works on those in the same Familia. Active Trigger.

-Developmental Ability-

Abnormal Resistance – I

-Status-

“Hmm… I don’t have much opportunity to use my Magic, so it’s really falling behind my other stats.” Mikoto hummed thoughtfully, having only gotten to use her spell once during their dungeon crawling today to crush an entire pack of Hellhounds.

Hestia nodded in agreement. “While you’re normally a melee fighter, it does seem like a bit of a waste to let your Magic stat fall behind like this.”

Mikoto put her yukata back on properly as she stood up and moved aside to let Daphne go next. “I’ll try to think of a reliable way to train my magic more, Hestia-sama.”

Daphne sat down on the stool, pulling off her shirt and revealing her bare back to Hestia. “I’m ready, Lady Hestia.”

“Alright, Daphne, let’s see…” Hestia began the Status Update watching Daphne’s gathered Excelia. “Hmm, not too much use of your magic this time around either, huh?” She hummed thoughtfully as she moved the Excelia into Daphne’s Basic Abilities and watched the numbers increase.

“I didn’t need it as much given my position in the Party today.” Daphne said with a small shrug as she felt the paper placed onto her back. “It’s not difficult to train my magic though, so I’ll work on it a bit more.”

Hestia smiled at how pragmatic Daphne was being about improving. “That sounds like a good idea, Daphne.” She handed the Status Update to Daphne and then locked up the redhead’s Falna.

-Status-

Daphne Lauros

Level 2

Strength – D 505 > D 513

Defense – E 478 > E 485

Dexterity – B 707 > B 719

Agility – C 698 > B 711

Magic – F 370 > F 373

-Magic-

Raumure

Protection Magic – Incantation: ‘Follow blindly the sun in the sky. Blossom, armor of laurel, so that all will flee from thee.’

(Raises the user’s Defense and largely raises their Agility. Its effectiveness depends on the user’s Magic stat.)

-Skills-

Elios Passion – Slightly raises the user’s Agility. If being chased, it allows the user to temporarily obtain the Development Ability: Escape.

Laurus Wreath – Heavily increases the user’s Defense if exhausted or dying. The user is able to select where to activate the effect and it modifies their skin to a rough, tree bark-like state.

-Developmental Ability-

Abnormal Resistance – I

-Status-

“Still, not too bad for a good day in the Dungeon.” Daphne smiled a little as she put her shirt back on and stood up, making space for Cassandra to get her own Status Update.

Cassandra shrugged off the top of her black dress and then moved her long, blue hair over her shoulder so that Hestia could have access to her back. “Thank you, Lady Hestia.” She said with a small smile.

“You’re welcome, Cassandra.” Hestia said warmly for the more timid woman, and the newest mystery of her Familia. “Let’s see…” As Hestia watched through Cassandra’s Excelia, she occasionally ‘looked’ at the mysterious ‘not a Skill’ that resided within Cassandra’s Falna. When nothing new manifested, however, Hestia finished the update normally. “It’s a great thing to have a Healer in the Party, Cassandra. Thank you for taking care of everyone.”

“Y-You’re welcome, Lady Hestia.” Cassandra accepted the praise with a happy little smile. Being praised for her abilities by her deity was very nice. She accepted the Status Update paper and looked it over while Hestia locked up her Falna.

-Status-

Cassandra Ilion

Level 2

Strength – H 101 > H 107

Defense – H 189 > H 196

Dexterity – G 248 > G 257

Agility – F 341 > F 353

Magic – D 588 > C 602

-Magic-

Soullight

Healing Magic – Incantation: ‘Heavenly light, once rejected. Merciful arms that save my shallow self. Rescue my miserable companions in place of my words that cannot reach them. Oh sunlight, may you beat back ruin.’

(Heals injuries and restores stamina within a given area. Area of effect increases based on the amount of Mind used.)

-Skills-

-

-Developmental Ability-

Treatment – I

-Status-

“My Magic stat went up to ‘C Rank’!” Cassandra smiled happily at her newest improvement. She accepted the gentle hug from Hestia and then put the top of her dress back on properly while accepting the congratulations of the other women.

Hestia smile beautifully at the warmth and support in her Familia for a moment before speaking up. “Could you send Bell and Welf in for me?” She asked of the four women.

“Lili will do it!” Lili agreed, heading out the door and down the stairs to the common area to fetch Welf and Bell. Though it took a long moment to get Eina and Bell to part with each other from where they were cuddling on the couch.

A minute or so later, both Bell and Welf entered Hestia’s office.

“You can go first, Welf.” Bell offered with a small smile for his friend.

“Thanks, Bell.” Welf pulled off his simple shirt that he was wearing to lounge around the house and then sat on the stool with his back facing Hestia. “Whenever you’re ready, Goddess.”

Hestia grinned as she placed a drop of blood on Welf’s back and the blue-white light glowed. “Alright, let’s see…” She hummed as she watched Welf’s Excelia for the day.

“Anything new, Goddess?” Welf asked curiously as he felt Hestia’s finger moving across his back before a paper was placed on him.

“Not this time, Welf.” Hestia shook her head once. “But I’m sure you’ll gain something new in time.” She encouraged the blacksmith to keep working hard to develop and grow.

Welf shrugged, not expecting anything, having just been curious. “It’ll happen when it happens.” He took the paper from Hestia when she handed it to him. “Thank you, Goddess.”

-Status-

Welf Crozzo

Level 2

Strength – H 190 > G 203

Defense – H 178 > H 191

Dexterity – H 182 > H 197

Agility – H 148 > H 157

Magic – H 101 > H 105

-Magic-

Will o’ Wisp

Anti-Magic Fire – Incantation: ‘Ignite, heretic spell.’

(Can cause an Ignis Fatuus to enemies if timed correctly.)

-Skills-

Crozzo Blood – The user can create Magic Swords. Can raise the power of Magic Swords during creation.

-Developmental Ability-

Blacksmith – I

-Status-

“Getting back into dungeon crawling certainly helps the points increase.” Welf grinned as he saw his growth. “My Strength went up to ‘G Rank’ too. Nice.” The fact that both Defense and Dexterity were close to hitting ‘G’ as well only made his Status update better.

Hestia smiled at Welf as the blacksmith stood up from the stool and put his shirt back on. “Whether you stay with my Familia or return to Hephaestus’s Familia in a year; I want your time spent with us to be fruitful to both your craft as a blacksmith and your growth as an Adventurer.”

Welf smiled back at Hestia. “Thanks, Goddess. I appreciate that.” He turned to Bell with a grin. “You’re up, Bell!”

Bell pulled his black shirt over his head and sat on the stool, his bare back facing Hestia. “I’m ready.” He smiled over his shoulder at Hestia.

“After seeing everyone else Excelia, I know that you’ve done well today, Bell.” Hestia giggled as she touched a drop of her blood to Bell’s back and watched his Falna appear on his skin in the familiar light.

It didn’t take Hestia too long to watch Bell’s Excelia, seeing the day through his eyes did make it easier to understand the difference in Bell’s Level 3 status compared to everyone else’s Level 2. “Managing to pin down such a large Monster… You’re getting so strong, Bell~” Hestia praised while moving the Excelia into Bell’s Basic Abilities, watching the numbers grow significantly.

Bell smile at hearing that, knowing that he’d gotten stronger was always nice, the praise from Hestia always touched his heart too. “Thank you, Hestia.” He accepted the paper when his Goddess lover handed it to him and looked it over.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 3

Strength – I 11 > I 43

Defense – I 9 > I 40

Dexterity – I 12 > I 45

Agility – I 13 > I 47

Magic – I 10 > I 42

-Magic-

Firebolt

Vesta Enhance

Enchant Magic – Incantation: ‘Rise’

(Increases all Basic Abilities for five minutes. Then can’t be cast for five minutes after the increase wears off. Effect rises based on the Magic Stat.)

Thunderbolt

-Skills-

Liaris Freese – Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user’s feelings.

Dual Wield – Significantly increases Strength and Dexterity when wielding a weapon in each hand.

Argonaut – Executes automatically after charging from active actions.

Heroic Will – Raises Stats when the user refuses to give up in the face of adversity. Those with lower Stats see the user as near unassailable.

Dragon Slayer – Heavily increases all abilities when fighting Reptilian Monsters, massively increases all abilities when fighting Dragon Type Monsters, potentially making the user stronger than their actual Level when fighting them. Passive.

-Developmental Abilities-

Luck – H

Hunter – I

Anomalous Resistance – I

-Status-

“It does take a lot more to raise stats at Level 3.” Bell said, mostly to himself as he looked at his Status Update. “But I’ll just keep working hard as we head for the Eighteenth Floor.” His desire to grow stronger, to reach where Ais, Tiona, and Tione stood, and the go further, to become a True Hero, were only further fueled as he saw his growth.

Hestia hugged Bell from behind and kissed his cheek. “That’s my Bell~” She said sweetly as she held him. “One day you’re going to become a great Hero, I know it.” Hestia whispered softly into Bell’s ear, fully believing in him and his dream.

“Hestia…” Bell turned around on the stool and wrapped his arms around Hestia before capturing her lips.

Welf suppressed a chuckle as he quietly slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him. As he walked down the stairs and entered the living room he couldn’t help but smile a little as Eina was cuddling with Lili now, the two women looking adorable as Lili lightly rested her hand on Eina’s tummy. “This is a good Familia.” He said to himself, once more certain of his decision to convert.

-Hearth Household ~ Next Morning-

After breakfast, everyone was relaxing a bit before they headed off to spend their day as they wished. It was a ‘day off from the Dungeon’ for Hestia Familia’s only Party. Welf was reading a book on rare materials used in forging, before he planned to spend the day making Daphne and Cassandra some new armor. Lili and Hestia were doing some recordkeeping and making sure that the Familia’s ledger was up to date thanks to the 4,000,000 Valis that the Crystal Mantis Wing had managed to sell for to the Goibniu Familia. Not to mention what they’d gotten for the Adamantite and the Drop Items from the other Monsters. Daphne and Cassandra were lounging a bit, just enjoying the day off in casual clothes until Welf needed them for measurements for their new armor. Mikoto was enjoying a bath in the large tub right now, the swordswoman was a huge fan of large, spacious tubs and had made it a point to take a relaxing bath every day that she’d been a member of Hestia Familia.

“I’ll see you after my shift.” Eina cooed to Bell as they kissed each other lovingly at the front door.

“See you tonight, Eina.” Bell said once their lips separated. Even if the two continued to hold each other for a long moment before Eina reluctantly left Bell’s arms and headed out.

Bell closed the front door after watching Eina walk down the street of the Hearth District until he couldn’t see her anymore. He’d barely made it to the couch when there was a knock on the door. Turning back around, Bell opened the door and spotted Chigusa from Takemikazuchi Familia.

“You’re…Miss Chigusa.” Bell greeted the young woman.

“Yes…um, is Mikoto here?” Chigusa asked, seeming a bit worried about something.

Bell looked back into the common area, and not seeing Mikoto, turned back to face Chigusa. “I believe that she’s still in the bath. We can have someone go get her if you…”

“Chigusa-dono?” Mikoto’s voice came from behind Bell. She was dressed in a simple white and pink yukata, having just come from the bath. “What brings you here this early in the morning?”

When Chigusa glanced at Bell, he quickly realized that this conversation probably related to the Takemikazuchi Familia and quickly backed away, leaving Mikoto and Chigusa to talk privately.

“R-Really?!” Mikoto’s sudden and loud exclamation caught the attention of everyone in the living room.

Welf looked over at Bell, the two men being closest to each other at the moment. “What was that?” He asked quietly.

“I’m not sure.” Bell shook his head once while keeping his voice low. ‘I wonder… Did something happen?’ The way that Mikoto and Chigusa continued to talk in hushed words and the clearly rising tension in Mikoto’s body made everyone a bit concerned.

Even after Chigusa had left, Mikoto was clearly affected by what she and her friend had talked about. Though Mikoto put up a brave face, she couldn’t hide her concern very well, the worry in her purple eyes was clear to anyone that looked into them and it continued all day.

Unfortunately, when asked if anything was wrong, Mikoto had insisted that everything was fine. It didn’t take a deity to see through the lie with how blatant it was. But no one wanted to push Mikoto on it and potentially overstep into a situation that they had no business in.

Fortunately, for Mikoto, her Familia very much cared about her and were making it a point to watch over her throughout the day. Even as the sun set and Mikoto announced that she was heading to bed early, her friends quietly waited in case they were needed.

No one had any idea what the unexpected news that had been brought in the morning would lead the entire Hestia Familia into.

-End Chapter-

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Back in the Dungeon and making MONEY!!! WOO!!!

A Rae Monster like the Crystal Mantis has an equally rare, and valuable, Drop Item!

Not to mention all of the other loot that the Hestia Family managed to acquire! Money, money, money… MONEY!!! Without a massive debt hanging over their heads, all of those funds go to the Familia and the Hearth District to help complete it faster!

Everyone in Orario will recognize Land Lady Hestia! Kek!

There’s some good growth for everyone too! The Hestia Familia is fairly strong since they have nothing but Level 2 and a Level 3 Adventurers!

But now, unexpected news comes from Chigusa, and it’s clearly unsettled Mikoto.

What could this news lead the Hestia Familia into?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!