Graduation

We continue with the first chapters of this new Volume, still settling on some of the chaos he caused, I speculate that this will last at least 4 to 7 more chapters, likely less.

Anyway, enjoy!

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/A few hours ago, just a few moments after the final fight ended…/

'Back in the workshops of a certain smithing Familia, two girls talked inside an office…'

'Each had one of their eyes covered by an eyepatch, one had her left eye blocked, the other one, the right.'

'An Amazon and a Goddess.'

'The Cyclops, Tsubaki, Captain of the Hephaestus Familia, and the Goddess herself.'

"Well, damn, kiddo got me impressed, in more ways than I can express." Tsubaki said with her arms crossed as she looked at the projection slowly vanish in the air

"I did praise his courage and boldness when he said those things in front of those clowns, but I also condemned his recklessness, guess that was all unfounded huh, boy had everything in his grasp."

Honestly, I was wrong to think so? I doubt anyone thought anything else.

'She shook her head with a small smile.'

"When I first saw him from afar, he came to me as a contained sort of fellow, then the War game came, and I realized he was…"

"Pretty similar to you?" Hephaestus mumbled with a tired smile

"Ha! At the time I thought I was more energetic!"

"..."

'Hephaestus dropped her head low, it seemed there was no way to put some sense in the thick skull of this Amazon.'

'Regardless, Tsubaki had to give Silver some credit...'

"Can't say the same now though… It's a bit over my budget… Not for long though!"

'She smiled widely.'

"My spirit has been kindled! I need to make something… Anything!"

I'll pour my all into this next project! How much Orichalcum do I have?...

Tsk! I'll have to get some! Fine, it won't take long.

'But the moment she took a single step, she turned to look at her goddess.'

'And seeing the Amazon's expression...'

"Hm? What are you stopping? Go on, I'll be fine on my own." Hephaestus replied with a small smile

"You sure you won't regret it?"

"When you go outside, make sure to call Saul for me."

"Saul? Got it." Tsubaki replied with a smile as she saw Hephaestus get up from her seat

'And while she left, Hephaestus gazed at the city through her mirror.'

"It seems that day came much faster than I expected, I don't even have anything ready…"

Sigh, he gives me too much work.

"My hands still hurt from making those gloves…"

But now... No one should complain if I officially sponsor him, will they?

…

/Sometime later…/

'Below the ground inside a small stone room full of shelves filled with wine bottles, a man with blond hair could be seen grabbing one bottle after the other, cleaning them slightly with a thin cloth before placing them back in place.'

/Creak.../

'The door to the room opened, interrupting his concentration.'

"Dionysus-Sama? Are you cleaning?" An elven woman asked as she entered the room

'He didn't turn to face her, he already knew who it was.'

"Yes Filvis, I'm feeling a bit iffy you see, so I decided to do some light cleaning in the room, give it a new look." He replied with a side glance

"Is it due to the War game?"

"You might say so."

'He smiled.'

"Who wouldn't appreciate a warrior trying his all against an impossible scenario?..."

"Struggling… Bleeding... Fighting against Despair... Putting his all to win."

"It was indeed an incredible show, few can accomplish anything near, much less during such a wide gap." Filvis replied with a slight nod

Even when I was... I could barely fight an opponent a Level higher.

That was a long time ago...

'Dionysus did not reply, instead, he continued to clean his bottles.'

"..."

'But midway through, he stopped, grabbing a singular bottle, unsealing it.'

'Call it instinct, or mayhaps, he saw something on the bottle that attracted his attention...'

'As if something had been out of place, it might've been the unique way the light shone on the wine inside, or simply his intuition as a Divine existence.'

/Sniff…/

'He smiled its contents, and his expression immediately became dark.'

'His eyes revolving into a dark spiral, shadows covering his face...'

"Filvis, did someone enter this room while we were away?... Let's say… During the festival, we went to a few days ago?" He asked without turning around, merely grabbing the bottle

'His voice did not waver, his body did not even move.'

"Hum? No one would enter your room without permission Dionysus-Sama."

"Ha… That's true."

'This was everything he needed to hear, his body started to move again, and he turned his face slightly with a small smile.'

'His gaze turning back to the bottle, he said:'

"I guess I'm just being paranoid."

'And so, he stored the bottle back in place, but once Filvis turned to the side, his expression darkened.'

…

/Sometime later…/

'Around an hour or so after leaving the Manor, Silver also left another large house, this time, followed by a blue-haired lady…'

'This girl had a stronger expression as compared to Hestia, though equally as beautiful.'

'As walked out of her home, she seemed very relaxed as she flicked the back of his head with her finger, full force.'

/FLICK!/

"!"

'The force of her finger hitting his head was such he recoiled slightly forward.'

"Ouch…"

It doesn't hurt but come on…

"Hopefully with this, you'll wake up." Artemis said with a slight smile as she pushed her hair aside

"I..."

'There was no need to go over their entire conversation again, so he only sighed, before turning to face her.'

"... I'll come back soon." Silver said after a moment of pondering

"As you should." She said with a smile

'But Silver shook his head.'

"This time it's different, I want to do something else..." He said with a strong expression, looking directly at her eyes

"..."

'Artemis became slightly embarrassed as she looked around, fondling her hair.'

"There is somewhere I would like to go, and I would like to go there with you."

'He smiled, and so did Artemis.'

"Then I'll wait, though it doesn't seem that'll take long…"

"!"

'Artemis didn't say much, instead, she approached and hugged him.'

'This wouldn't be a problem normally, but they were… In plain public!'

'There weren't that many people on the road, but if any saw them...'

'Silver quickly raised a barrier to prevent others from seeing, but if there was anyone paying attention to them, they would certainly frown at the fact they suddenly vanished.'

"Oi…"

"Don't say anything… Let's just enjoy this." Artemis said softly

"... Alright, I don't mind." He said with a smile as he hugged her back, and she smiled even more

'Sometimes he wished for strength to quickly come, so he could enjoy his life outside of the Dungeon more.'

'But he also thought that there was no need to be hasty, he would still live many decades to come...'

'Yet, he also didn't want to make anyone wait.'

'What a predicament...'

…

'After a slight moment between them, and even a slight kiss, they parted ways, a promise left behind.'

…

/Back at the Guild…/

'Silver entered the Guild, and he was immediately bombarded with gazes.'

'Some he recognized, others he didn't, and of course, he made sure to smile.'

'For those that he did recognize, he decided to tease them a little, such as a certain half-elf, he posed elegantly, making her frown and her expression turn red in a mix of anger and embarrassment.'

'But as he saw that, Silver felt satisfied... Because he managed to break her fear, even if just a little.'

'As he became stronger, more dependable, it seemed his relationship with these people became more and more distant in some paradoxical way.'

'That's why he always tried to be a bit goofy around them, because he valued this small friendship they had built, and he didn't want it broken just because of a small clash of ideas and misunderstandings.'

'His greatest progress was seeing a certain red-haired beast woman smile in relief, even if just for a split second.'

'Waving his arms around, greeting friends along the way, Silver met with a certain Elf...'

"I knew you would come, it was only a matter of time…" Loiju mumbled with a tired expression

'But before he had the chance to reply, the Elf dragged him along the hallways of the Guild and into a private room.'

...

"Now we can talk." Loiju replied as he fixed his glasses

"Right... So, why do you look so tired?"

'Loiju opened his mouth to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat.'

'His mouth opened and closed as he tried to come up with some words until he rested his elbows on the table...'

"I… M-My heart can't take all of this, phew…" He said as he took of his glasses

"..."

'Silver decided to listen instead of making a light joke... For now.'

"Hearing you go and blow up Ishtar's house… It already made me skip a beat, I thought you were a goner, or at least, it would be hard to keep working normally."

"I even half expected them to come to me and demand some sort of answer I do not possess..."

"Then, the War game came… And I mean, I was already aware you were Level 3, but I didn't expect you to be so…"

"Damn awesome?"

"Bat crazy!"

"Almost the same." Silver said with a sly smile

"The only thing that made me relax was the fact you came to me to talk, but even so..."

"Haaa… At least it was all over… For now at least as I can already see the people coming to annoy me in the future."

As always, it's me that ends up having to clear the messes he makes, it was the same after the War game with the Apollo and Tityos Familias.

Long ass reports... Damn bureaucracy...

"I'm already happy my Boss didn't ask me to provide him with an answer regarding your Level… And even if he does…"

"You're just going to tell him that you know nothing."

"Obviously, what else do you expect me to say?" Loiju said dismissively

Just shy of 6 months... And already Level 4... Wait...

/Thud!/

'He slapped the table.'

"You leveled up, right?"

'Silver looked at him with an eyebrow raised.'

"What do you think?"

"Yes?"

'Silver smiled.'

"I even got a new Skill."

"... You kidding me, right?"

"Not at all."

/Silence.../

'Loiju looked at the ceiling without his glasses, it was difficult to describe what he was feeling at that moment.'

"To think the guy I went to advise just by convenience ended up like this..."

"..."

"Fate brings together the weirdest of things sometimes."

'He stayed silent for a moment before continuing.'

"Regardless, we can leave all of this business talk to later, just leave that to me, and as always, if there is something for you to deal with personally, I'll call you."

I'm sure the Hestia Familia will start to receive a shit load of personal commissions...

They already received such commissions from time to time, but it was directed at him, with this, some ambitious people will decide to gamble and invest in their future...

While also trying to get on his side.

Who wouldn't want to get on the side of a new rising power? Especially one of his caliber?

Due to everything he showed, once he becomes Level 5, he might have the power to even contend with the Loki Familia's top Executives.

Perhaps he can even do more... As he has the potential to become Level 6.

Truly... Just what kind of adventurer did I fish out?

The greatest gamble of my life.

...

"In any case, time is the least of our worries…"

'He smiled a little before becoming serious.'

"For now, I want to congratulate you, not only as an advisor but also as a friend."

"As this will likely be the last time I'll be able to call myself that."

"Huh? Why?"

'Loiju looked slightly apologetic.'

"Look at you, you're already a grown-up Level-4 adventurer, according to protocol, I should've stopped long ago, even if this is an unprecedented situation."

"It's impossible to hide it now, everyone knows you're a High Level 3."

"I'm sure they're all running around like headless chickens because the adventurer that was once Level 2 suddenly became top Level 3."

"There will be many people staring at you for a myriad of reasons..."

"And after this fight, everyone will think about whether or not you Leveled up... And I don't think it would be a good idea to hide it any further."

"Yeah... I've planned for that." Silver said deeply

"I'm tired of hiding."

I'm far from what I wished to be, but now, let them know, let them see who I am.

A Level 4 that can take on a Level 6, this is the adventurer I am.

Even if not universal... I should at least be able to take on the Elite Level 5s such as Ais with her Ariel and Avenger.

Though in her case, I wonder if I would truly be able to clash with her or resort to tactics to win.

'Loiju smiled evilly.'

"I got it, make them tremble in fear, right?"

"..."

/Cough!.../

'Slightly embarrassed, Loiju continued:'

"Anyway, even if I wanted to avoid too much extra work, I have to eventually advise someone else, it's the rules."

"Though I should be able to make excuses for now, since it has barely been half a year since I started advising you… You know how the Guild is with their enforcement of rules, at least within themselves."

"..."

"That's everything I wanted to say, of course, I don't plan on stopping doing what I already did, you can always come to me and ask me for some help in sorting commissions and the like."

"Though I expected some free food from time to time, your pockets won't even budge for all I know."

"..."

'Silver smiled helplessly.'

"But officially, today or this week at most will likely be my final days as your advisor, from here on out, you're a fully-fledged adventurer… Even if that was already the case from long ago."

'Silver smiled a bit as well.'

"So nothing changes I guess."

"Of course it does! Now, I'll have to change how I brag!"

"..."

"From the present to the past… Oh! The glory days…"

"At least from now on, if anyone asks, I'll just say… I taught him."

'He looked really proud as he said that, and Silver had the urge to laugh as well.'

"Alright, you win."

'It seemed their small discussion had come to an end... Until...'

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, here it is." He said as he took something from a small box in the corner of the room

"That is?"

"The thing you asked me to do, already forgot about it?"

"Oh! Of course not, I actually wanted to see it."

'Loiju opened the box and took out a small object, it was similar to a pyramid without the tip, with a hollowed interior covered by glass.'

'It was a magic item…'

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