Power Corrupts: Small Decisions (ch.20) (Patreon)

I returned to the Hostess of Fertility in a daze, my feet carrying me there as my mind replayed that conversation, wondering what I could have done differently. Should I have argued? Was there a point? From how she sounded, it seemed that Loki never had any intention of helping me and I doubt I could have said anything to change her mind. I guess I seriously misjudged her. 

What really struck me was going back on the promise of training me. Getting my butt whipped by Ais and Tiona was going to push me past the limit, breaking my stats into the hundreds. If I pushed myself far enough, I wouldn't even need to level up to take on Zanis. Now, without any kind of warning, that security net was ripped from underneath me, and I was left free falling into an abyss. 

I needed another plan. Eina was doing what she could to keep the Guild off my back. I hesitated to say that was a done deal, especially having my faith shaken as badly as Loki managed to do, but Eina wasn't Loki. I still had to get Lili and Hestia's testimonies, which would help, but by far my greatest concern was what the Soma familia would do when they found out what happened. 

In total, I killed ten of their men. Even in a dumpster fire of a familia as the Soma familia was, they couldn't just overlook something like that. 

"Hestia and Lili will be safe as the Hostess," I reassured myself. At their very best, the Soma familia wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to those that worked at the hostess. If a single level difference was incredibly challenging to overcome, then a four-level difference was utterly impossible. Actually, thinking of Hestia brought my attention to a certain fact. 

Hestia was friends with Hephusteus, who might not be the most powerful in terms of hard strength, but as the biggest supplier of weapons in a city of adventurers, she had a lot of soft power. Even better, she wasn't a two-faced bitch, so she would certainly help us out. With her backing us, then the Guild would certainly back off and maybe the Soma familia as well. It was just a less likely simply because while the Hephusteus familia wasn't a combat-oriented familia. They were blacksmiths, and even the high-level members weren't frontline fighters. 

The crushing weight that had seemed to have settled on my shoulders lightened a fraction. We still had other options. The situation wasn't completely unsalvageable. 

"Jericho!" I nearly flinched when I heard my name shouted out, my gaze snapped to the source and to my infinite relief it was only Syr. She looked concerned, and it was only then that I noticed my face was twisted into a deep scowl. I tried to throw on a smile, but it felt brittle and fake. "Did the meeting with the Guild not go well?" She asked, knowing there was no easy way to ask if I was getting vanished or blacklisted from the Guild. 

"The meeting with the Guild went fine. Eina is doing what she can, and she just needs testimonies." I couldn't bring myself to admit that the case might not go our way because of dick-waving bureaucrats and arbitrary gods. I didn't even want to think about it. "I went to the Loki familia to see if they would be willing to pull some strings since they almost got me killed, but they kicked me to the curb instead," I stated bitterly, Syr's lips twisting into a frown. Glad to see I wasn't the only one who thought that was a bit fucked. 

“Has anything happened on this end?” I asked, trying to change the subject simply because I didn’t want to think about that anymore. A bad habit of mine. Rather than think a problem to death, I distracted myself with something else. Usually, either the problem went away, but I doubt that would be the case now. But, I wouldn’t be able to do anything else about it for now. 

“Mama Mia has us all on look out, but we haven’t seen anyone yet," Syr reported to my relief. So, they either didn't know yet, or they didn't know where my familia was staying. That couldn't last forever, but until it did, I would savor every moment of safety. 

"Thank you," I said, thanking her for a lot more than telling me the one nugget of good news I had gotten today.

"What are friends for?" Syr said, hip checking me as we walked back to the Hostess. 

"Is Lili awake," I asked once we neared the door. Apparently the Hostess was closed today, using the previous night as an excuse to not let anyone in. I had some hope that she would be awake given the number of potions she drank, but Syr crushed that hope with a shake of her head. 

"She hasn't. Ryuu says that's normal, though considering how badly she was beaten. Health potions accelerate the healing process, and that takes up a lot of stamina. She says we should only start to worry if she doesn't wake up by tomorrow," Syr answered, her voice soft. "But...did her familia really do that to her? For trying to leave?" 

I gave a shallow nod, trying to keep my expression from twisting into a scowl. "Yeah. Their captain is a real piece of work on a power trip. Lili tried to leave once before, but the Soma familia found her and assaulted the flower shop that she worked at. They won't let her leave unless someone forces them to let go." 

Syr sent me a sly smile, “And you’re going to make them let go, aren’t you?” She asked, her tone telling me that she knew the answer. 

Even still, I nodded, “no matter what.” I repeated, not for the first time today. I wouldn’t let Lili suffer at the hands of those degenerates any longer. 

Syr’s smile grew by a fraction before she beckoned me down with a finger. Curious, I leaned down to feel her lips press against my cheek in a chaste kiss. As soon as I felt them, she pulled away, humming contently to herself. 

Then, without a word, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the kitchen. After everything, the simple action actually picked me up a bit. Absentmindedly scratching at my cheek, I walked up the stairs, each one groaning underneath my weight, announcing my presence to Ryuu, who swept upstairs. 

Our eyes met, and she inclined her head to me. “Your goddess is in the room on the far left. You may want to speak to her,” she commented. I gave her a tired nod in response, not liking that I was going to have to dump more bad news on her. I knocked on the door, hearing a dull ‘come in’ before I pushed the door open. 

Hestia was on the bed, the covers pulled over her and a book in her hands. I don’t think she was actually reading it since it was upside down. Her eyes lit up when she saw me even as her expression became deadly serious. “What happened?” She asked and I really needed to get better at hiding what I was thinking. 

I told her, starting from the beginning. I could see each piece of bad news weighing her down like I was throwing a physical weight on her to the point that she couldn’t even muster up any outrage of Loki’s betrayal. We fell into a heavy silence once I was done delivering the bad news, her hands curled up into fists. My other plan to talk to Hephustus seemed to help, if only a bit. 

“Your status,” she said, breaking the silence. “We haven’t updated your status in a while, have we?” She asked and I realized that I hadn’t gotten it updated since before the minotaur attack. Was it only a day? It felt like so much longer, though. The past hours felt like weeks. Before I could say anything, Hestia got out of bed and started tugging at my shirt. 

Within a few moments, I found myself laying on my stomach with her hands on my back

You have reached 75 in Endurance! Please select the perk you wish to be awarded:

Toughness: 5% damage resistance.

Quick Healer: You can now regenerate health. Effects determined by Endurance stat. 

Iron Bones: Your bones are as breakable as iron. 

Super immune: Great resistance to Disease and Toxins. 

You have reached 75 in Dexterity! Please select the perk you wish to be awarded:

Dexterous: Bonus 5% exp awarded for all Dexterity related actions.

Boneless: Your ligaments had too much in common with rubber bands and contortions look at you with envy. 

Hand-Eye Coordination: Your reaction times are increased. Effects determined by Dexterity and Sense stats. 

You have reached 25 in Intelligence! Please select the perk you wish to be awarded:

Great memory: You can recall most things with a passing glance

Comprehension: When you learn new skills, you gain an innate understanding of them.

You have reached 50 in Sense! Please select the perk you wish to be awarded:

Bloodhound: Your nose is sharp enough to be used for tracking. 

Sonar: Your hearing is sharp enough that you can tell where things are by sound alone.

Due to reaching milestones in your stats, you have been awarded the following perks:

Light Footed: Your footsteps make as much noise as a feather hitting the ground

Devil in the Details: Small details jump out at you. Effectiveness is determined by Intelligence and Sense stats. 

Mimicry is the highest form of Flattery: You will have greater ease copying something that you have seen. 

Perfect Practice makes Perfect: Highly repeated actions now cost less stamina to perform.

Ugh, so many windows, I thought with a grimacing, unused to getting bombarded with them since I rarely, if ever, got popup windows. Now I was getting hit with so many of them at once, I realized just how intrusive the things were. It was only after I was done grimacing that I bothered to read the contents and my annoyance was replaced with excitement. I could choose more perks, and now that they were the second batch, some of them looked pretty good. 

I moved the other windows to the side, deciding I would look at them when I was done picking my perks. It was even better than I thought, recognizing the ones that I didn’t pick the last go around. So I could pick them up later if I wanted to.

“Did you get more perks?” Hestia asked softly, practically whispering in my ear with her hands cupped around her lips. It seemed that she understood just how sharp high-level adventurers were. Probably didn’t help when we knew at least one was peeping at this very moment. 

I nodded wordlessly, whispering back what choices I had. Hestia lit up when she heard some of them, and I was in agreement with some of her choices. Some of them were instant benefits, much like Life-Giver was, while others would have some long term gain, similar to how Balerina changed my fighting style from angry bull to graceful angry bull. 

I went ahead and picked Fast Healer simply because there were times that I couldn’t afford to take a potion break. If I hadn’t blinded that minotaur, then I would have died before I could start downing potions like my life depended on it. Super Immune was kinda useless since I had Abnormal Resistance, but Iron Bones was going to be picked eventually. 

Then I went with Hand-Eye Coordination simply because it would mesh well with my other perks and the fact that I was a front line fighter. The last two choices were less easy to pick. Would it be better to have a sharp nose or better hearing? Was having a better memory more important or understanding what I learned better?

“Comprehension,” Hestia answered as if she could read my thoughts. “You can learn how to better leverage your skills if you understand why you’re doing the things that you are.” She explained and I saw the logic in her choice. It would also synergize well with Mimicry and Perfect Practice. 

Then the last one...was Sonar. The vast majority of the fighting I did was in the Dungeon, so knowing if I was going to be hit with a horde, or an ambush sounded invaluable. 

Once that was done, only then did I turn my attention to the other screens. 

You have achieved a feat worthy of a Title! Congratulations!

Due to valiantly facing foes that are undoubtedly stronger than you yet emerging victorious through wits, grit, and luck, you have earned the Title:

Under Leveled: Greatly increased parameters when pitted against foes that are stronger than you by at least 1 level. Greatly increased rewards. Greatly increased chances of a rare drop item when against monsters in the Dungeon.

Huh. I...guess I did get something for killing those minotaurs. Well, that was nice. No, actually, this was perfect! I really wish that my system would give me hard numbers instead of saying ‘increased parameters’ but between this and Swordsman, would my inflated stats be enough to bridge the gap between a level 1 and 2? 

It was a possibility at least. I could work with this. Did they have to be stronger than me or only a level stronger? I’m guessing the latter since its the only thing mentioned in the description. A coil of tension that was strangling my heart let go, letting me breathe a little easier. It was hardly the game changer that I needed, but this balanced things out a little more. 

Depending on how the War Game was done, I could still end up facing down hundreds of Soma familia members, but there was hope. It could end up being a one on one duel, and with this, I could win. I just needed to get my stats up. That topic, naturally, lead my train of thought to how I was supposed to be getting trained by the Loki familia, making a wave of bitterness swell up in my chest. 

“All done?” Hestia asked, freeing me from my thoughts before they could spiral down. I nodded, getting up and taking the slip of paper that Hestia handed to me. There was a broad smile on her face and, hopefully, the good news didn’t stop there. 

Jericho

Level: 1

Progress to level 2: 219,398/1,000,000

Strength: 64 

Endurance: 78 

Dexterity: 77 

Intelligence: 30 

Sense: 53 

Development Abilities:

Physical Resistance: The user receives 7% less damage. Effectiveness is determined by the Endurance stat.

Abnormal Resistance: Poisons, Toxins, and Drugs are 7% 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.

Sex: Greatly enhances parameters when engaging in sexual intercourse. Effectiveness is determined by Endurance, Strength, Dexterity, and Sense stats.​

Dishwashing: Stains and dried on food are easier to remove. Effectiveness is determined by Strength stat. 

“Of all the…” I trailed off, a grin threatening to tug at my lips despite the situation. I got a dishwashing skill. Of course, I did. 

“I guess we know who’s cleaning up after dinner,” Hestia teased, clinging to my side. I was glad for it. Her presence helped distract me from...everything. Loki, Lili still being asleep, the Soma familia. It felt like I was being pulled in a dozen different directions and something was close to giving out. I wrapped an arm around her and savored her warmth. 

“It’s going to be okay, Jericho,” Hestia told me, her tone certain. “I’ll go talk with Hephustus -- I’ll take Ryuu or Anya with me, I promise. She’ll get the stupid Guild off our backs and she’ll chase off the Soma familia too.”

A sigh escaped me, “but this won’t end with that.” I said, feeling more exhausted than I had after a week of no sleep. “I’m not letting Lili anywhere near those pieces of...and so long as we have her, the Soma familia is going to have a justification to harass us. Hestia, I’ve killed ten of their members. They’re not going to let that go.” Hestia’s expression became troubled, my words taking the edge off her optimism. 

“This has to come to an end, sooner or later," I said, holding her tight. I needed time but time worked against me. The longer it took me to get ready, the bigger the chance that the Soma familia would do something. Could I even go into the Dungeon alone anymore or would I just be ambushed? And the longer this dragged out for, the less fresh it'll be in the Guild’s memories so fewer eyes would be on them. Once enough time had passed, then they would try something big and, while that time could help me, if I stagnated because I couldn't go into the Dungeon…

Hestia looked afraid. Not for herself, if I had to guess, but for me and Lili. I gave her hand a small squeeze, prompting Heatia to hold me that much tighter. "It's still going to be okay," Hestia repeated, clinging to her optimism. "You'll figure something out. Lili will wake up, and then we'll beat up the Soma familia," she said in the tone of someone trying to put their hopes into reality. 

Well...then I had better make sure that they do. 

I let go of Hestia, placing a kiss on top of her head as I rose to my feet. "I should go to the Dungeon while I still can," I said, shrugging on my shirt. Hestia gave me a serious nod, raising to her feet as well. 

"Then I'm going to see Hephaestus now," she decided, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. I...guess I was showing how badly the situation was getting to me. I thought I was keeping a firm cap on it never before have I felt like...I was hanging off a cliff and waiting for the moment that the frayed rope keeping me up snapped. I could feel that moment approaching deep in my bones but I didn't know when. "Have a little faith, Jericho. Everything is going to be okay. I promise," she said, her voice slightly muffled from burying her face in my stomach. 

I certainly hope so. 

…

“Hestia...why didn’t you come to me sooner with this?” Hephaestus asked, massaging the bridge of her nose after Hestia had finished telling what her familia had landed themselves in. Hestia didn’t know that she was massaging the bridge of her nose since she couldn’t see her long time friend, but she knew her well enough to know what her response would be. 

“Because I didn’t want to rely on you,” Hestia answered honestly, speaking loudly so the floor wouldn’t muffle her words. Her forehead was pressed to the cool stone, though it was rough on her knees. The dogeza, a legendary technique taught to her by Takemikazuchi, who claimed that none could resist doing the users will when used. The ultimate begging technique. 

She hated it. Hate wasn’t something that Hestia had a lot of experience with, not in the thousands of years she had lived. There were plenty of things, and people, that she disliked but Hestia would hesitate to say that she hated any of them. But, without a shadow of a doubt in her mind, she hated...that she had to use this technique. 

Hestia knew her familia was small, only one member at the moment, but she found a great pride in it. In Jericho. He was proving exactly the kind of man that she always imagined her familia being filled with -- heroes that ignored incredible odds to do what they believed was right. Jericho was determined to help Lili even if it meant taking on the entirety of the Soma familia. Of course, he was scared, but that fear was for her and Lili if he didn’t win. He didn’t fear for himself. 

That pride, Hestia had come to love. She basked in it like a warm sunny day because her familia, as small as it might be, was exactly what she wanted. 

And here she was, throwing that pride away to beg for help because, as much as she wished otherwise, Hestia knew that this was the most she could do. She had no great skill at arms, or a web of secrets to be used. What she did have was a powerful friend that could protect her familia since she couldn’t. 

“Hestia…” Hephaestus muttered, a sigh escaping her. “Stop bowing, please. Just...sit down,” her friend said, sounding exhausted. However, Hestia didn’t move. She couldn’t. The only thing that she had to offer was her pride and she knew it wasn’t worth the lives of Jericho or Lili. 

“I can’t,” Hestia refused. “Not until you agree to help us. Please-”

“Oh, for- of course, I’ll help you!” Hephaestus half-shouted, sounding annoyed. “I can’t believe that you thought I wouldn’t for a second, Hestia.” She exclaimed with a huff. Hestia’s head snapped up, her eyes blurry with unshed tears but she fought them back with an iron will. 

She had cried enough, Hestia decided. First when she found Lili battered and broken in a puddle of her own blood. When she realized that there was nothing that she could do to make her wake up to the point that Ryuu and the others put her in a separate room so Lili could get her rest. From now on, the time that she could have spent crying, she was going to spend doing something. Anything other than wallow in self-pity over her own inability. 

So, she swallowed a lump in her throat and wiped the unshed tears away before she rose to her feet. Her knees hurt a bit from bowing for awhile, but sitting down in the chair was a welcomed relief. It took her a few seconds to bring herself to look up at Hephaestus to see her lone red eye was filled with worry. 

“I think I have a grasp on the situation, and I promise I will throw my weight around to make the Guild go away,” Hephstus swore, her voice firm. There weren’t words to describe the relief that flooded through Hestia at that reassurance. “And I’ll put pressure on the Soma familia, but, I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how much good that will do.”

That, Hestia thought, was less reassuring. “Because of Soma,” she could guess the reason between Lili’s story and her own memories of Soma back in Heaven. He was always one to get lost in his own world, indulging in his few hobbies with a single-minded devotion that it was honestly impressive even by the standards of gods. However, never in a million years would she have ever thought he would be so devoted to his hobby that he could completely ignore the suffering he was causing. 

“Because of Soma,” Hephusteus agreed with a nod. “I could throw the book at him, and I doubt that guy would even notice. Their captain has full reign of the familia, but the gods won’t recognize his authority when it comes to godly matters. So, throwing the book at them could make the situation worse -- Zanis will lash out, perhaps not at you, but as someone that’s drunk on freedom, having stipulations thrown on him when he won’t be able to argue to get them removed…”

Members in his familia would suffer. Other weak familias would suffer. People just trying to live their lives would suffer. Because the Hestia familia didn’t want to suffer when they had a friend in high places. Worse, a lot of the other gods wouldn’t care about that at all. If anything, they would find it funny to watch someone like Zanis get the rug pulled out from underneath him to watch his reactions, no matter who they hurt. 

The gods came down from Heaven in search of entertainment. And a lot of gods had a very cruel sense of humor. 

“We just need some time,” Hestia said, echoing her child’s words. He was in the Dungeon right now, undoubtedly pushing himself to his absolute limits to progress enough that he could take on the Soma familia single handedly if he needed to. He wasn’t even close to leveling up, but, maybe, with enough time he could. If they had a few weeks, then maybe…

“I don’t think a few weeks is going to make much of...a...difference,” Hephustus started to say, only to trail off when Hestia wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Hestia…”

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Hestia was quick to defend herself, wincing internally. “Jericho...is something special.” She answered, keeping it simple but still telling the truth. It was absurd to think, but Hestia was certain that he would be able to level up in a few weeks. Maybe one. His title would help close the gap between him and a level 2, but the Soma familia had hundreds of members. He wouldn’t be able to take on such a force unless he was level 2 at least. 

Hephaestus stared at her for a moment, before giving a slow inclination of her head. She was letting the topic drop for now, just not forever. “If what I’m hearing about him is true, then I would imagine so. But, people are already starting to talk about your child. I’m sure a lot of it is just rumors, but some of them believe them. Apollo especially -- I heard him screeching this morning about you.”

Why would...oh. It was a rare thing to see the god of smiths blush as brightly as her hair, so Hestia knew what the rumor mill was spinning. She guessed she should have seen it coming -- the topic of her virginity, and who would take it, as a topic that the gods seemed to love to entertain themselves with. Now that she had announced that she lost it to rub it into Loki’s stupid face, of course, the gods would be talking about it and collecting on their bets. 

“W-well, I’ll deal with Apollo after we’re done with the Soma familia,” Hestia decided, not wanting to deal with the creep at all. He was obsessed with her, taking whatever opportunity he could think of to be around her. And no matter how blatant his creepiness was, he just insisted that he was being nice and she was rude for not appreciating him. Only replace appreciating with sleeping with him. 

Hephaestus gave a shallow nod, and Hestia went on a limb to guess that she wasn’t sure if she believed the rumors or not. It didn’t matter. What mattered was her familia and their safety. 

“Thank you,” Hestia said, bowing her head again, a knot of tension released. Jericho wouldn’t be blacklisted from the Guild for defending himself and their home. “I know you’ve already helped me out so much Hephustus, and I promise you I’ll return everything that you’ve done for me a hundredfold one day.” She would do it too. She owed the red-headed goddess more than words could ever say. 

Not just for helping her, but for kicking her out. It had been dreadful living alone and having to work, but because of it she met Jericho. Now, she couldn’t picture her life without him. Even if he one day died from old age, when his soul was reborn, she would find him. No matter how many lifetimes would pass, she would always be by his side. 

“I’d say not to worry about it, but I know it won’t do any good,” Hephaestus said, her lips tugging into a frown that she only wore when she was trying to not smile. “But, I’m glad you’re taking this seriously. I’ll admit that I was pretty worried about you when I kicked you out.” She admitted, letting the smile win as she grinned at Hestia. 

Hestia found herself smiling back. “I think it all worked out perfectly.”

…

I wasn’t alone in the Dungeon, despite expecting myself to be. Off in the distance, just out of sight like a shadow in the mist, there was another adventurer watching me. There were times that I thought that she was gone, but every once and awhile, I would hear the sound of an orc hitting the ground to alert me that she was still lurking nearby. With Sonar, I could tell where she was too.

I could hear so much, and I had more or less the exact position of the source of the sound, except instead of being monsters spawning ahead or behind me, my brain told me that they were Soma familia members. They weren’t, I hadn’t seen anyone else in the Dungeon so far, but each time I heard a footstep behind me, I turned around to expect a dozen Soma members lead by their level 2s. 

My hands were shaking from the nerves, I realized, noticing a small tremor in my blade. I took in a calming breath, delving deeper into the tenth floor. My torso felt bare without any armor on it, but there was nothing that could be done about it. My armor was still a week away from being completed, and even reforging a chest piece would take way too long. 

It was fine. As if to prove that point, I heard some rustling grass behind me, alerting me to an imp trying to sneak up on me. I pivoted, leaning out of the wild swipe it made at my kidneys, the gray-skinned bone-thin creature letting out a squawk of surprise before I drove my pommel into its face hard enough that it's skull cracked open. I underestimated how much Hand-Eye Coordination would help me when dealing with small but fast monsters. Between it and Ballerina, I could dodge most attacks with ease now. 

I ducked underneath a wild swing from an orc, feeling air brush against my sweat-soaked face as I countered at the same time. I slashed at its stomach, gutting the monster before I took off its leg. Controlling my breathing, I thrust my blade forward, stabbing it in the neck before yanking my blade forward to take its head off. The body collapsed to the ground, and I wasted no time kicking it over to yank out its magic stone. The body collapsed to ash, leaving behind an orc hide.

I stuffed it into my bag, before continuing forward.  

I needed a few more orc hides to complete a quest, and that would land me a nice pile of exp. Then there were other quests I could look into getting and try to cash in before it became too dangerous for me to enter the Dungeon. With that in mind, I jogged forward, exploring the wide-open room in search of more orcs.

Instead, I found something else entirely. I wasn’t even looking for it, but my eyes fell upon the staircase that would take me to the eleventh floor. 

“You shouldn’t go down there, yet,” the adventurer that was shadowing me announced her presence. My heart lurched in my chest, but it was quick to settle. I glanced over my shoulder to see Ryuu dressed in what was quite possibly the most anime outfit ever. A deep green cloak with the hood shaped like petals of a flower, a green mask that covered the bottom half of her face, with a white tunic underneath leading to a pair of green panty-like booty shorts. Two cloth belts made an X around her hips, while her legs were covered from the mid-thigh down with brown leather boots. In her hand was a wooden sword, but even if it was a practice weapon, she could easily kill me with it. 

“I have to,” I said, turning my attention back to the entrance to the eleventh floor. “I’m not pushing myself enough on this floor anymore.” I could kill orcs easily and even the monsters that had troubled me before were simple to dispatch thanks to my new perks. I needed something to push me to a new limit and this floor wasn’t doing that for me. 

“There will be other opportunities. You don’t have to go now,” Ryuu argued gently, her deep blue eyes narrowed into a sharp look that I felt even though half of her face was hidden. 

I gave her a cheeky grin, “when else will I have a high leveled adventurer to protect me if I bite off more than I can chew?” I retorted, meeting her gaze. To my surprise, she looked away, letting out a quiet sigh before she nodded, apparently seeing the logic in my words. Perfect. 

Turning my attention back to the entrance, I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath. I took the first step and I could only hope that Ryuu was following behind me because she was soundless. I nearly was as well, almost shockingly so as I made my way down the stone steps. I’m not sure how the exact mechanics worked, but it seemed I really was feather footed. Neat.

It didn’t take long to reach the bottom of the stairs to the eleventh floor, the last floor that level 1 adventurers were able to go on. Everything below this was level 2 and up. I was greeted by a wall of heavy fog that nearly made it impossible to make anything out. The little that I did see was that the ground was less grassy, and more rocky. There seemed to be objects in the distance, boulders and outcroppings. 

There wasn’t much detail to be had, I mused stepping into the heavy mist, glancing over my shoulder to see that Ryuu had followed me down. She was watching me as I searched the dense mist for enemies only to have no such luck. In a way, I think I understood why it was recommended for B+ stats on this floor. If the mist was always this desne then it would be easy to find yourself surrounded. 

Except for one thing. 

Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on my hearing. It wasn’t as easy as anime made it sound, pardon the pun. I didn’t get exact pinpoint coordinates on a 3D map inside my head, or anything. I just got a vague ‘over there’ or ‘directly ahead of me’ instead. And, despite the heavy fog blocking them from view, there was activity in the distance. Heavy footsteps, the sound of stone stone breaking…

Let’s get to it then. 

Opening my eyes, I strode forward, zeroing in on a source of noise. Cautiously, I approached, Ryuu vanishing in the mist but I didn’t doubt that she was nearby. The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer until I could make a shape out in the fog. Swallowing thickly, I braced myself for another fight and strode forward. 

It was a silverback, I saw shortly before I made eye contact with a large gorilla-like ape. Unlike the anime, it wasn’t two stories tall like a baby King Kong. It wasn’t that much bigger than a normal sized gorilla, actually. I’m sure compared to Bell and Hestia the thing had seemed absolutely massive, but compared to me, it was still smaller than me. I don’t think it broke five feet hunched over on all fours. 

It snarled at me, letting out a screech as it slapped the ground in a challenge. Thankfully, Eina had prepared me for this. Exactly as she said, it stood up, beating its chest as it let out another screeched before it launched itself at me. It launched a wild haymaker at my head as it practically flew at me, crossing the small distance between us with surprising speed. 

I moved at the same time, going to meet it halfway, my sword shifting. I thrusted my sword forward, catching the monkey in the chest and used its momentum against it. It sank deep into my blade as I continued forward, ducking underneath the wild haymaker as I yanked by blade to the side. As the silverback monster continued forward, my sword yanked free of its chest, exiting by carving a path through its ribs, spinning around from the sudden exit, before it crashed onto the ground into a pile of ashes. 

The magic stone was destroyed, which is why the tactic wasn’t a common one against the silverback monster. Eina said that they were highly aggressive, typically launching themselves at adventurers where they would then use their incredible weight to knock through defenses. Which, now that I think about it, reminded me a little too much of my own tactics.  

I would have to aim a bit lower, skewer them through the stomach rather than the chest. I summoned up my status screen to do some mental math at how much they were worth. I killed about a dozen orcs, some imps…-

I was interrupted by the sound of a deep rumbling roar that echoed throughout the eleventh floor. It was nearly deafening and I didn’t need Sonar to tell me that whatever it was, it was too close. I scrambled up the rock that the silverback had been sitting on, the mist lightening enough that I could see a glimpse of what made the sound. 

A dragon. There was no mistaking it. I read enough fantasy books to recognize it on sight. The large head, the gaping maw filled with sharp teeth, the deep blue scales that covered its lizard like face that flowed down a long neck. I couldn’t see its body because of the fog, but I could imagine it with ease. Four legs to support it, a long lizard tail, it wouldn’t have wings...and it was so huge. After the past few weeks, I got used to looking down at everything. 

The dragon was still taller than me with an extra five feet. I couldn’t imagine facing that thing down on the ground. 

“An infant dragon,” Ryuu commented, a frown in her voice. “Bad luck. It’s presence will scare off any monsters nearby.” She said but I was glued to my spot. An infant dragon was like a floor boss. A floor boss was characterized by having an unusually high level that marked a stage in the Dungeon. In a way, the infant dragon marked the separation between the upper floors and the middle floors. 

A level 2 monster. 

“Jericho-” Ryuu started, knowing exactly what was going through my mind. I guess it must have been obvious as the infant dragon turned to face in my direction, bright orange flames licking at its lips. 

A random thought struck me as I looked at the infant dragon that stood at least twenty feet tall and twice that long. 

It was a quote from my English teacher back when we read Beowulf in class. ‘The dragon is never a dragon.’ The dragon was a representation of something -- fear, an insurmountable obstacle, a personal decision or anything at all. Triumphing over the dragon was triumphing over the issue, marking a change in the character from then on. The dragon was simply a literary device rather than a creature that inspired fear and awe to those that witness it. 

I hadn’t thought about that class in years. I wonder if Mrs. Wellis would say the same now that a dragon existed outside of a storybook. 

“I need to kill the dragon,” I heard myself say, my voice oddly calm despite essentially saying that I wanted to commit suicide by fire. Yet, I wasn’t turning tail and running away. I wasn’t armored, not that it would matter. All I had was a sword...and a title. I didn’t have magic or an OP ability that was a literal asspull whenever I needed one. Bell one-shotted the infant dragon in the anime, but I don’t think I would manage that same feat.

None of that changed that simple truth. I needed to kill the dragon. For the exp. For the monster drop. For the stat gains. 

Because the dragon wasn’t a dragon.