Power Corrupts: Divine Anticipation (ch.11) (Patreon)

So, I’ve noticed some serious problems with the pacing of this story. When I was plotting out my outline and writing the backlog of chapters, I didn’t really notice it at the time, but it’s become pretty clear that the plot of this story is moving at a snail’s pace. So, to rectify this, after the next chapter there’s going to be a small-time jump.

...

Lili looked down again, her voice thick with emotions when she spoke. “Why does Mr. Jericho want to help Lili? You were really careful about it, but I still stole a bunch from you!” Had she? “Yesterday, I got really cocky and the split was seventy-thirty!” Whoa, I knew she stole from me yesterday, but that much?! “So, why? Why does-”

It would be a lie to say that I didn’t think of stealing Bell’s line when she asked that question. However, here, it didn’t fit. I hadn’t saved her from the jaws of death, choosing to save her even though she had betrayed me. Especially when I only knew her for a few days. 

“Because you need help,” I told her instead, speaking gently as I knelt next to her. She still had to look up at me, her eyes filling up with a fragile cautious hope. “And I want to help you. Simple as that.” I told her, making tears well up in her eyes again. She started to look down, but I gently placed a finger underneath her chin to make her gaze met mine. “Just have a little faith in me, okay?” 

Lili opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. Instead, she nodded her head, trying to hold back tears. I looked over at Hestia to see her looking at me, I could exactly tell what she was thinking despite her habit of wearing her emotions on her sleeve, but if I had to sum up her expression in a word, it would be peaceful.  

Hestia walked over, placing a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly to show her support. “Have a little faith in us,” Hestia corrected, forcing Lili to glance up at her. And...I could see it. She didn’t believe us. Not fully. Maybe a little, but not enough. That’s why she wasn’t saying anything. She was avoiding Hestia’s lie detector. I guess this is what happens when you don’t learn about a heroine’s problems without a life and death dramatic event. 

“We’re going to get you out of that familia as soon as we can. Do they expect to see you, or anything?” I asked, trying to hammer out a game plan. The more time I had to do it, the better. 

Lili shook her head, “N-no. Lili doesn’t live in the familia home, so they only see her when its time to pay dues. So, in a couple of weeks.” She answered, swallowing down her emotions with more than a little difficulty. 

“Good.” I had about two weeks to power grind my stats. Provided that no one suspected anything, I could have even longer. “I’m still new to stuff like this, but we can buy your way out of the familia right?” I questioned, earning a nod. “Then I’ll start saving up. If Zanis is as big of an asshole as he sounds, I wouldn’t put it past him to ask for a stupid amount.”

Lili stared at me, her expression so carefully guarded that it betrayed absolutely nothing that she didn’t want it to. “How does Mr. Jericho know Lili wants to leave the Soma familia?” She questioned suddenly, catching me flat-footed. I could hardly tell her the truth, and when Hestia looked up at me, her gaze asking the same question, I realized that I had to stick as close to the truth as possible. 

“Because of how you acted around that Canoe, guy. And how those guys in the Dungeon acted. Then you’re talking about rent and familia dues -- you didn’t have to tell me, it was fairly obvious if you knew what to look for,” I said, making Lili blink slowly. 

Lili agreed with a slow nod, “Lili has been saving up a bunch to buy her way out too. But...Lili is scared that he won’t take it…”

“Then I’ll kick his ass and take you away,” I told her, cracking a smile when I saw a rose tint on her cheeks. 

“Zanis is a level 2, Mr. Jericho! You can’t beat him -- I know you’re really big and strong, but the difference between even a high level 1 and the weakest level 2 can’t be overcome. He’ll kill you,” she told me, sounding like she believed it. And I believed it too. Before fighting Sword and Shield Guy and Broadsword Guy, I might not have -- it felt like I was making great gains, and with everyone’s reactions, I thought I was too. And, I was. They just weren’t enough. 

“Lili is right,” Hestia seconded, her eyes filled to the absolute brim with worry. “If it comes to a fight, then we can’t win.” 

I nodded, agreeing with her. As of right now, the most I could hope for is that my blood was hard to wash out of his clothing when I tried to fight Zanis. “That’s why I’m going to do some sit-ups, push-ups and drink plenty of juice to make the gains I need to win that fight. If he won’t take a price, then we’ll challenge him in a war game.” I told her, standing back up, my armor jingling lightly with the movement. “If we have time, then I’m going to become a level 2 to even the playing field.”

Lili seemed uncertain but nodded all the same while Hestia sputtered. Probably because she could tell I was telling the truth. “Lili believes that Mr. Jericho will reach level 2 eventually-”

“A month,” I decided with a sense of finality, ignoring the stunned look that Hestia and Lili were giving me. I wasn’t even close to leveling up after nearly a week in this world. I was almost a 100th of the way there. Worse, the plan was still the same -- increase my stats until I could reach the lower floors to get more exp. The killer ants were great, but the monsters below would be even better. 

“I’ll reach level 2 in a month,” I repeated, giving myself a deadline. Now, if I didn’t manage it, then I would look really stupid. Now, it was time to buckle down. I needed to push myself even harder in the Dungeon. I needed to start pushing myself outside it too -- possibly at the expense of spending time with Hestia. Maybe. Whatever it took, I needed to blow through the upper floors to the fast, exp rich deeper floors. 

“But that’s impossible! The record holder managed to do it in a year, and before that, the record was five years! Mr. Jericho can’t level up in a single month,” Lili proclaimed at me, standing up, all traces of the exhaustion that seemed to weigh her down was gone. 

I looked at Hestia to see her biting her lip. She knew about my weird falna -- my standards for leveling up were different than normal. One million exp. I could do it. 

“That so? Well, then, bet on it.” I said, sending her a grin as I picked up my sword. “If I level up in a month...hm…” I paused as if I had to think about it. 

Seizing on my hesitation, Hestia decided for me. “Then join our familia,” she blurted, earning a sharp look from Lili. Despite her best efforts, I think I saw a crack in her mask. Her eyes shone with unshed tears. She swallowed thickly as she looked away from Hestia’s warm gaze. 

Lili wiped her eyes of the gathering tears before they could fall, not quite managing to hide the small smile on her face as she did so. “...okay. Lili will take that bet,” she said, turning to look at me. There was no question in my mind that the small smile she sent my way was genuine. And, judging by Hestia beaming expression, I think she meant what she said. 

That was progress, wasn’t it? I still don’t think she fully believed us, but if she was willing to take this chance, if we followed through then that was progress. At the very least, it was way better than rescuing her at the last moment from a swarm of killer ants after getting betrayed by her. Less dramatic, to be sure, but this was a good thing. Words meant little to her, so if she saw us following through on our end, then, eventually, I think she would start to trust us a little. 

“Great, and if I don’t...well, you get ‘I told you so’ rights until the day I die, sound fair?” I asked, sticking out a hand for her to shake. Lili reached out with a dainty hand, I engulfed her hand and shook it once. Her hands were even smaller than Hestia’s. 

Lili let out a huff that could have been a laugh if she put a little more effort into it, but I guess the fact that she felt comfortable to not laugh or giggle at my lame joke was a good thing. "Lili will do that," she said, her voice starting to grow rough with emotion. 

"Lili," Hestia started, smiling brightly at the girl, "would you like to stay for supper? I brought more than enough to feed an extra person." 

Lili shook her head, "Lili...would like to." She started, sounding honest, but she continued a moment later, "but, Lili shouldn't. Lili's familia could notice that the people that attacked Mr. Jericho haven't come back. Since Lili is the only one that can do it, Lili wants to make sure that no other Soma members are planning to attack Mr. Jericho." 

"Oh," Hestia wilted ever so slightly as Lili moved to get off the couch. I swallowed my suspicions -- insisting that she stay would just push her away. All I can do is hope that she wasn't planning anything against us. Or self-destructive. "I understand. Thank you for looking after my child, Lili," Hestia said, giving a small bow and, out of everything, that was what got the biggest reaction from her.

Lili's eyes went wide, caught off guard by a god bowing to her. "L-lady Heatia shouldn't bow to Lili!" She blurted, clearly uncomfortable with the act, looking up at me for me to back her up. Maybe I would if my goddess was anyone else. 

"Thank you for looking out for me Lili," I said instead, offering a smile to her. "Will I see you tomorrow at the usual place?"

Lili looked at Hestia, then at me, her hood blocking my view of her eyes. Slowly, she lowered her head, trembling ever so slightly. For a moment, I thought she was going to say no, but then her head rose back up to look at us again. "Mr. Jericho will see Lili tomorrow! Lili promises!" She declared, getting a grin out of me and a full-blown megawatt smile. 

"Good!" Hestia decided, going over to hug the smaller girl, practically smothering her in her chest. "And when this is all over if you wish it, I'll be happy to welcome you into my familia." I saw Lili go stiff in Hestia’s arms as she repeated the offer shortly before leaning into the hug until she was practically supported by Hestia. 

“Joining Lady Hestia’s familia would make Lili really happy,” Lili told her. I didn’t need a lie detector to know that she was telling the truth.  

“I believe you. Come back as soon as you can, okay?” Hestia said Lili’s words struck her as true. Hopefully, this meant we could avoid any dramatic self-sacrificing that anime tended to have when it came to characters seeking redemption. 

“And if you need any help, I want you to come running back to us before you try to do anything on your own,” I tacked on. “Promise me,” I said, making Lili go stiff again. Ah, so she did plan to go off and do something stupid. Yeah, no. None of that. 

A huff escaped me as I walked over, having to reach down some so I could place my hand on top of her head. “Lili, we can only help you as much as you let us. So, please, let us help you.”

Lili swallowed thickly, “Lili doesn’t deserve help-” Lili started to protest, only to be cut off when I lightly thumped her on the head. 

“Life doesn’t care about what you deserve. Life is about making do with what you get -- and, Lili, whether you think you deserve it or not, we’ve decided to help you. Now, tell Hestia that you aren’t planning to do anything stupid, and if you’re lying, I’m going to tie you to me to make sure you don’t run off.” I ordered, getting a firm nod from Hestia to back me up. 

I saw a tear race down Lili’s cheek before she wiped it away, sniffling as she fought back a fresh wave of tears. When she looked back at us, I saw that her eyes were brighter than they were before. A glint called hope in them. “Lili promises. Lili will come back as soon as she can and she won’t do anything dangerous until she comes back.”

Hestia’s expression told me that Lili wasn’t lying. 

“We’ll be waiting." 

…

“How did you know?” Hestia asked as we walked towards the Tower of Babel. Lili departed not too long ago, probably off to see that spirit that ran a pawnshop if I had to guess. Hestia seemed to think that Lili meant her promises, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have any doubts. The promises she made weren’t exactly loophole-free.

I didn’t need to ask what she meant. “Just because you aren’t lying doesn’t mean you’re telling the truth,” I answered, knowing that from experience. “I don’t know the full story, but I know that Lili has been in a dark place for some time now. You can’t shake something like that off with a pep-talk.”

“I see,” Hestia muttered, looking thoughtful. “Do you think she’s going to be okay?” She asked, sounding worried. 

I sighed, “I think so. Lili can take care of herself, and she did promise that she would come to us for help if she felt she was in over her head… at this point, we just have to have faith in her.”

“Hm,” Hestia agreed with a small nod. She took a seat next to me, grabbing a damp cloth as she went to clean up my arms. For a few minutes, there was silence as I let her wipe up the dried blood that coated my arms. I thought about nothing in particular, simply replaying the conversation in my head, wondering if I could have done something better. 

Then my thoughts drifted back to the Dungeon. That elf that clutching at my leg, begging for his life. Instead, I killed him. And...I think...that was the right decision. I don’t know about anyone else, but I sure as fuck wouldn’t forgive someone cutting my legs off. Any promises that he made meant nothing -- as soon as he was back in his familia home, he would have told everyone that I did it. 

Maybe Zanis would use the excuse to challenge us to a war game, or something. I didn’t know. Just like I didn’t know what Canoe was planning. What I did know was that we wouldn't stand a chance against the Soma familia if they decided to pull time thing, so the longer they thought we were some no-name new familia, the better. 

"Jericho…," Hestia started slowly as her hands came to a stop. I glanced up at her to an unusually serious expression on her face. "What are we going to do?" 

That, I had to admit, was a very good question. "For now, we just try to save up some money, but from what Lili told me about Zanis...well, I don't exactly have high hopes that things will be that simple," I said with a sigh, feeling tired despite it being so early. "Especially if we do manage to pay him some stupidly high price -- he's going to wonder how we made so much money. Worse, he's going to want in." 

I could end up in the same situation those guys had threatened, only it wouldn't be to some punks. It would be to an entire familia that had level 2s in it.

"You think something like that could happen?" Hestia asked, sounding worried. I nodded gravely, my mind all too helpful to offer up plenty of worst-case scenarios. 

"Zanis is scum. I'd be shocked if he didn't try something like that," I answered, reaching out with a blood-covered hand and placed it on top of hers. I could see the growing fear in her eyes, so I was quick to reassure her. "But that won't happen. Right now, he has absolutely no reason to come after us. And by the time he does have a reason-" 

"Do you really think you can reach level 2 in a month?" Hestia interrupted softly, not disbelieving, but double checking to make sure I wasn’t talking out of my butt. Which was fair, because I realized how it sounded. 

“I think so,” I said, mulling over what I had learned. “My stat growth has been pretty significant,” Hestia agreed with a small huff of laughter as she continued to wipe up the dried blood. I couldn’t be certain since the anime never really covered it, but I think my stat growth was even greater than Bells. 

Admittedly, it was slowing down rather significantly, but I still reached the equivalent of D rank in my more important stats in about a week. In a month, if I could continue the trend, I could have SSS rank stats like Bell did. While that was extremely important, grinding stats was a means to an end. That end is to level up. 

“So, I should be able to go down to the lower floors pretty soon. I...might have gone to the ninth floor today,” I admitted, making Hestia go very, very, very still but she wasn’t yelling. “And I could handle the biggest things on it easily enough. I’m not going to go any deeper yet, but I think I could go down to the tenth sometime soon.” Which would give me more exp, but, more importantly…

“The quests experience rewards get pretty big once the tenth floor starts since only veteran level 1s or level 2s and up can make it there. I saw one for twenty-five thousand exp if I get thirty orc hides,” I explained, seeing Hestia nod slowly, following my logic. Then, not to mention…

I summoned upon my Status screen with a thought. 

Jericho

Level: 1

Progress to level 2: 60,202/1,000,000

Strength: 38 (+2)

Endurance: 53 (+1)

Dexterity: 50 (+4)

Intelligence: 12 (+5)

Sense: 33 (+3)

Development Abilities:

Physical Resistance: The user receives 5% less damage. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat. 

Abnormal Resistance: Poisons, Toxins, and Drugs are 5% less effective. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat.

(Swordsman: Increased parameters when wielding swords. Effectiveness is determined by Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, and Sense.)

Skills:

Gamer Body: The user’s body is that of a video game.

Massage: Skilled hands make targets tension and exhaustion melt away. Effectiveness is determined by Dexterity and Strength stat.

Kissing: An intimate act between lovers that, if done well, can bring pleasure to the target. Effectiveness is determined by the Dexterity and Sense stat.

I had just over a twentieth of what I needed to level up. If I continued to grind down in the Dungeon against soldier ants, if I did the quests, then I could have enough exp by the time Bell did in canon. But, doing the math, I realized just how much exp killing those five guys gave me. 

Altogether, they gave me nearly 32,000 exp. If I had to guess why they gave so much, it would be because some of them had been stronger than me. Sword and Shield Guy especially. If I hadn’t tackled him and fought dirty, then he would have won that fight. There wasn’t a single doubt in my mind. 

No matter how I looked at it, murdering people was the fastest method to leveling up. It could even be the smart thing to do. A war game with the Soma familia could happen in a dozen different ways, and very few of them I could win. If the war game was on an open field, me vs a hundred or so, then I was absolutely fucked. If it was a duel between captains, then maybe I could pull out a win, but it wasn’t likely against a level 2. 

If I started to kill off the Soma familia, then that could even the playing field a little bit. It was just… I don’t regret killing those five people. I didn’t start that fight, but I finished it. Hunting down Soma familia members and straight-up murdering them for exp like some kind of serial killer...that just rubbed me the wrong way. 

“What are you thinking about?” Hestia asked, and it was only then that I realized I was staring at nothing and had been for the last few minutes if the fact my arms were clean was any indication. 

“Just thinking about how to best level up,” I answered, leaning back. Hestia sat down next to me, leaning into my side. I wrapped my arm around her, shoving all those thoughts to the side in favor of thinking about nothing at all. “I have a few ideas…”

“Like what?” Hestia said, snuggling into me.

“I could try staying in the Dungeon overnight,” I said, thinking aloud. If I wasn’t going to start murdering people for exp, then I needed to maximize my time spent in the Dungeon and completing quests. Staying overnight would have the least impact on my actual daily activities. 

“But, when would you sleep?” Hestia questioned, sounding like she didn’t like that idea at all. 

“Er, I don’t think I need to sleep anymore?” I explained, looking down at Hestia. She pulled back from me, sending me a bewildered look that got a small laugh out of me. "I mean, I still can, but I don't have to. I was thinking something like I go around ten at night and come back whenever you get off work.” So, I would be in the Dungeon for something like eighteen hours a day, or more.” 

Hestia frowned, not liking the sound of that at all. The topic of my falna, and how I got it, wasn’t one we really discussed further in the past couple of days. “I don’t like the idea of you being down there all by yourself,” she pointed out, “especially after you just got attacked! What if it happens again?”

“Then I fight. If I can’t win, then I’ll run,” I answered simply. There wasn’t much I could do other than that. “But, Hestia, I’m going to have to go down there eventually. One way or the other.”

Hestia made a face that was quickly followed with a sigh. She nodded, knowing that was true if we wanted to help Lili. “But...if it’s that dangerous, then maybe…” she trailed off, hesitating. “Then maybe we should do something else? With your falna, I bet you could pick up development abilities like Blacksmithing or Mixing really easy!”

She wasn’t wrong there, I had to admit. However, when she saw my expression, her face fell when it was clear that I wasn’t interested in becoming a blacksmith. As odd as it was, I didn’t just want to be an adventurer to be relevant to the plot down the line. It played a part, to be sure, but it wasn’t the whole reason. I...kinda...liked being an adventurer.

There was something just so viscerally satisfying about slaughtering monsters. It wasn’t the slaughtering monsters that did it for me, but knowing that I was powerful enough to do it. A week ago, in my old life, the best I could have hoped for was a quick death. 

“All my development abilities are determined by my stats, though,” I argued gently. 

Hestia nodded, frowning, “can...you please not go into the Dungeon for today, at least? Until Lili is sure that the Soma familia isn't planning anything?” Her expression was pleading as she gripped my hand hard enough that her knuckles were white. I couldn’t have gone back into the Dungeon even if I wanted to. 

“I won’t go back into the Dungeon today,” I agreed easily enough. “Plus, I have some errands to run like picking up my clothes, finally, and meeting up with Welf so he can teach me how to take care of my armor and stuff.” Hestia practically sagged with relief. With her satisfied about that, I pulled her back in. 

“Though, I guess since I’m going to be so busy for awhile now, maybe we should use that free meal at the Hostess? Make a date out of it,” I offered, catching to look Hestia sent up at me. Idly, she began to play with my hand, her pale skin starting to turn a pleasant red from embarrassment as she caught the hidden meaning. 

“Yeah, I have-” Hestia cut herself off, the light blush that dusted her cheeks rapidly fading until her face was bloodless. “I forgot about work! I’m so late! I’m so, so, so late!” Hestia sprung to her feet, leaping out of my grip in panic. 

“At your new job?” I wondered, torn between telling her to skip work and encouraging her to go. Hephaestus seemed like a good friend, for the most part, so I think she would forgive Hestia for being late, but it was probably better not to push our luck-

“No, for the jagamarukun stand!” Hestia asked, practically tripping over herself to get to the door. Ah, in that case…

“Aren’t you quitting that job?” I asked, getting a nod from Hestia as she bounced around to put on her shoes. “Then why bother?”

“I-I can’t just not show up!” Hestia argued, sounding absolutely shocked that I would suggest such a thing. “I could get fired!”

“Then when you see them tomorrow, tell them the truth -- your familia had been attacked by another. If they fire you after that, then they didn’t value you in the first place,” I said, seeing Hestia hesitate at that. She didn’t want to go to work -- few did, and I’ve learned from experience that it’s all too easy to talk someone out of doing something they didn’t want to do, even if they knew they should. 

“So, instead of getting yelled at by your boss, getting worked to the bone, then going on a date when you’re exhausted, why don’t you treat yourself before we go?” I could practically see Hestia coming around to the idea. I sealed the deal with, “maybe a visit to the spa? There’s some kind of god only bathhouse, right?”

Hestia slipped on her shoes, her gaze looking at something far away. I knew I convinced her before she gave me a shallow nod, a look of...determination...on her face? Um...why did Hestia look like she was about to march off to war? What? “You’re right! There is! I’ll go there today and...meet up here at six for our d-date?” 

I feel like I’m missing something here, but I nodded all the same. “Sounds good to me.”

…

Today was the day that she lost her virginity, Hestia decided as she sunk into the steaming hot water of the bathhouse. There were a few other gods swimming and chatting, most she recognized, but this was not the time for idle chatter! It was the time of action!

“ORA!” Hestia roared, scrubbing herself down with a soapy towel. Her pale skin was turning a bright red, the filth that remained from washing herself down with a rag and a bucket was steadily being wiped away with excessive force. The pain she felt was it lemon and flower-scented soap she was using seeping deep into her skin. 

Picking up a new clean rag, she applied a liberal amount of soap on it before she started to clean her other arm. “ORRRAA!” She yelled her fierce battle cry, ignoring how tears stung at her eyes. The pain was worth it! Just like it had been worth it when she took the time to pluck absolutely every single hair on her body. Every. Single. One. 

“Erm…” A goddess spoke up as Hestia continued to wash herself with vigor. Through blurry eyes, Hestia saw it was Demeter. Well, she was assuming it was Demeter because only a few goddesses were as well endowed as the goddess of harvest. When the goddess leaned down, Hestia saw it was Demeter, her honey blonde hair tied up while her orange eyes were filled with confusion. “Would...you like me to wash your back, Hestia…?" 

"Yes!" Perfect, she had wondered how exactly she was going to wash her back thoroughly. "Here, use this," she instructed, pressing another soapy towel into Demeter's hands from the clean pile that resided on her right. 

"Okay," Demeter agreed, still sounding a little unsure. She took her position behind Hestia, placing the towel on her back before she started to scrub away. Instantly, Heatia noticed the issue. 

"Harder!" Hestia ordered, dropping her towel into the dirty pile. She grabbed a fresh one before resuming her furious cleansing. 

"But-" 

"Harder! Like this! ORRRRAAAAA!" Hestia roared, cleaning her collarbone so frantically her soapy towel could catch aflame. Until every single last spec of filth, until every last germ was eliminated, Heatia would never stop. No matter how sore her arms got. 

"But that looks like it could really hurt-" 

"ORRRRRRAAAAAAAAAA!!"  

"O-oorrraaaaa!" Demeter yelled, her pace increasing. From the mirror, Hestia saw that the busty goddess clenched her eyes shut as she threw herself into the task. Better, but not enough. 

"Even harder, Demeter! Put your back into it!" Hestia shouted, grabbing another towel and putting it to work. She ignored the clamoring at the entrance, dismissing it as one of the male gods trying to peep again. 

"O-ORA!" 

"Harder! I can take it! Harder!" 

"ORRRRRAAAA!" 

Perfect! Now she just had to scrub herself another three times to make sure she was squeaky clean, clean her hair, then have a nice long soak in the bathwater. Jericho wasn't going to know what hit him!

…

My lesson with Welf was surprisingly short after I came back up at our agreed upon time. Weapon maintenance was simple in task, just time consuming and tedious to do well. Special oils before taking a whetstone to it, be careful not to over sharpen the blade since it makes it more fragile and its best to do it every single day. He gave me a starter kit since he assumed I wouldn’t have them, which he was mostly right, and after that, Welf went about his day. 

“I wonder what he thinks of me,” I wondered, my feet carrying me home. He seemed to like me well enough, enough to go out of his way to teach me how to take care of my weapon and armor, but I noted a distinct lack of a bromance between us. We weren’t friends, I reflected, feeling some disappointment. I liked Welf in the anime, he was a solid bro.  

Was it going to cause problems down the line?

Maybe? If the War Games with Apollo still happen, there was a possibility that it would just be me and Lili facing down against level 2s and 3s. But, at the moment, that was a distant worry. I had a lot on my plate as it was, looking for more problems to deal with was going to end with me biting off more than I could chew. 

All I could do was hope that he changed his tune when he learned that I was going down to the deeper floors. I think I recall something about him being stuck on the 10th floor for about a year or so. I hadn’t said anything during our meeting, but I fought my way down to the 10th floor today. I didn’t go down it, unsure if I was ready for it. Even still, I could have if I wanted to. It wouldn’t be long before I cleared it out and moved on to the 11th, which would undoubtedly tempt Welf into joining my party-

“Here is your order sir,” a sweet-sounding voice, sliding over a large stack of clothes. I picked a shirt up, inspecting it and I felt my doubts about Hestia’s theory about a god in heaven taking my soul from the future lessen. The red shirt in my hands wouldn’t look out of place in the modern era, not counting it was XXXXL to fit my massive frame. 

“Thanks,” I said, offering a smile as I paid for my new wardrobe. Walking out, as soon as I could, I shoved my new outfits into my Inventory as I made my way back home. They were added to my newest acquisitions: a futon, blanket, pillows, and a shit ton of candles. You know, for ambiance, and shit. I even had a nice place picked out for it just outside the city. 

As I made my way back home, I also picked up a supporter bag from a general shop. A large gray bag roughly the shape of Lili’s. Since I doubt that she would want to join me for my overnight Dungeon diving, I needed to make up for her absence. After that, I went to a broken road near my home and started loading up rocks. 

Then I cleaned up at the Guildhall before I got myself ready for my date. Hestia still didn’t have nice clothing yet, so I ended up going with business casual -- dress pants and shoes, button-down with a leather belt with my sleeves rolled up to my elbows. I don't know what it was about rolled-up sleeves, but apparently, they bumped a man up a notch when it came to attractiveness. When I checked myself out in the mirror, I couldn't stop myself from smiling from ear to ear. 

I looked good. No, fantastic! A ten out of ten if there ever was one. My muscular frame pushed against the white dress shirt that was tucked into my pants, highlighting just how stacked I was without showing off any skin. I couldn't stop myself from flexing a little as I checked myself out. I probably would have stood there all day if it weren't for some adventurers coming in to clean up. 

Glancing at them as I walked out, I left out a breath of relief when I saw they weren't Soma familia. At- 

"Jericho?" Eina's voice interrupted my thoughts. Looking over, I saw her staring up at me with wide eyes, her cheeks dusted with a blush. I smiled at her, knowing just how good I cleaned up. That just made her blush that much harder as she fixed her glasses. "You're dressed very...nice," she observed. 

"Thanks," I accepted the compliment, turning to face her. "Hestia and me are finally celebrating forming our familia," I explained, not missing how her eyes closed over my form as she fixed her glasses again. She was checking me out. Huh. I didn't expect that from the straight-laced Guild employee. To be honest, I had written her off since she made it clear that her personal and work lives were kept separate. 

"Oh," Eina inked before nodding. "I'm sorry, I didn’t know. I, ah, I thought you were avoiding our lessons,” she explained, giving me the impression that wouldn’t be a first for her. That didn’t surprise me at all. Her lessons had been...extreme, to say the least. 

“No, I,” I paused, realizing that Eina could probably help me if only a little. “I got attacked in the Dungeon,” I explained, my smile falling as her eyes widened in shock. “By the Soma familia.” 

“We should talk privately,” Eina said, her lips pressing into a thin line as she marched towards a consolation office. As soon as I crossed the threshold, Eina closed the door behind me and said, “explain.”

I quickly explained what had happened -- that I was attacked, but I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I had killed anyone. I knew things worked differently in the Dungeon, but even if it was legal, I would sure as hell feel uncomfortable standing in a room with someone that had killed five men a few hours ago. Eina’s expression grew more and more serious with every word. She sat down heavily on the couch while I was forced to stand since the chairs weren’t meant for someone my size. 

“I’m sorry, this is because of me,” Eina blurted, taking me by surprise. She took off her glasses, massaging her eyes as her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I kept shouting about what floor you were on and questioning you in public when I should have taken you into a room so we could discuss it. I-I’m just so used to adventurers ignoring me unless I confront them!”

I...hadn’t really considered that. But… “I don’t think so, Eina,” I argued with a shake of my head. “This probably would have happened at some point -- I’m making a lot of money, and my size does single me out. I’m sure someone would have noticed something eventually.”

However, Eina shook her head. “They could have assumed you were going down with a higher leveled adventure, but when I confronted you in public, it made it clear that you weren’t. This is my fault -- I’m so very sorry, Jericho!” She said, bowing so low she nearly banged her head on the coffee table. 

Huh. When she put it like that, then...yeah, it was kinda her fault that I got attacked. That was...I’m not going to lie, I was kinda pissed about that. I could have died. I had to kill those guys because Eina couldn’t keep a secret. She glanced up at me, and my frustration must have shown on my face because when she glanced up at me, she winced. 

I took in a deep breath, swallowing my anger by thinking of how it worked out for me. I was taking steps in the right direction with Lili. I got around 30 thousand exp for the fight. I also got the development ability Swordsman that’ll go into effect the next time Hestia updates my falna. 

“I’m not going to say that it’s fine, because...I think you know that it’s not,” I said after a long minute of heavy silence. “But I know you didn’t mean for this to happen. And you can’t control what other people do.” She hadn’t been thinking that some opportunistic pricks would overhear her and use the info to jump me in the Dungeon. 

That was a mistake in itself, but it wasn’t an intentional one. 

“It won't happen again,” Eina swore, looking up at me. “I fully understand if you request another Guild advisor, and file a complaint, but I promise you that something like this will never happen again!” 

I wanted to run a hand through my hair, but I couldn’t mess it up. I still had a date after this. “I know it won’t. And you don’t have to do that or worry about me putting in a complaint or anything like that.” I said, letting go of my irritation. Eina practically jumped off the couch before she bowed again. 

“Thank you for your understanding, but I will make this up to you somehow. I promise,” Eina swore again, straightening out to show off how serious she was about it. I gave her a small nod, caught off guard by the sheer intensity of her stare. She meant every word. 

“I believe you,” I said, offering her a smile that I hoped didn’t look as brittle as it felt. It would be a stretch to say that it was water under the bridge, but it wasn’t. Maybe it could be with a little time, and I did want it to be water under the bridge eventually. It was just too fresh. “And I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, making my exit. 

Eina didn’t follow me out. When I closed the door behind me, I caught a glimpse of her collapsing onto the couch, her head in her hands. She was really torn up about it. Oddly enough, that did make me feel a bit better about it -- it was easier to swallow that it was a thoughtless mistake when I could see she felt so guilty about it. 

But, that was enough of that. I had a date tonight and, by god, it was going to have a happy ending.