Inari Familia Premise Chapter 4 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! As Bell continues to head deeper into the Dungeon and Inari continues to develop the Shinto District, time continues on. A large and famous festival is close at hand too! But as changes ripple out and make more changes in turn, what will happen between now and the big Monsterphilia? Perhaps the shifting events, even in a short span of time, will result in new things happening?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 4 – Gratitude, Dungeon Date, Skill

On the Sixth Floor of the Dungeon, Bell fought with a new Monster for the first time…well, several of them all at once, really.

“Skree!”

“Kree!”

Killer Ants, uncommon on the Sixth Floor, had nearly surrounded Bell in this cavern. A group of them had already been inside the cavern when Bell had found it, but more had been born from the walls shortly afterwards, forcing him into this situation.

“Foxfire!” Bell set his sword ablaze with the white-blue spectral fire. He easily cut down the Killer Ant in front of him, pivoted out of the way of another ant’s claws and split its head in two, only to duck and spin, unleashing a wide swathe of flames in a circle around him to break the encirclement and escape.

“Kree!”

“Skreee!”

The remaining Killer Ants skittered around their dead and burning brethren to charge after Bell.

Bell grimaced at their tenacity, knowing that he couldn’t injure any of them and leave them alive. ‘Rose taught me that they’ll use their pheromones to call for a ton of backup if they’re injured and left alive for too long. So, I have to take each of them down quickly.’ He manipulated his foxfire and unleashed a barrage of fireballs at the incoming Killer Ants.

Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom

Six of the Killer Ants fell dead as they burned, the remainder continued their charge, closing the distance between them and Bell.

“Faster!” Bell charged in and cut off the forelimbs of the first Killer Ant. He split its head with his next swing before being forced back to avoid the snapping mandibles of another Killer Ant. He bathed that one in foxfire, leaving it to thrash and flail as it burned to death. “Faster!” Bell pushed himself harder, slicing through another Killer Ant, pivoting to block the claws of a second ant, cut it down in a blaze of foxfire, backstepped to avoid the claws of a third ant, spun to split a fourth Ant’s head in half, horizontally, and then lunged forward to stab the third Killer Ant through the head, unleashing a fireball of foxfire into its head and making it explode. “Faster!” Bell pushed further as he stabbed the sliced in half Killer Ant through the head before it could unleash its pheromones…and then burned its head for good measure.

“Skree!”

“Skree!”

“Kree!”

“Skree!’

“Kree!”

Bell grit his teeth as he was already being set upon by more Killer Ants. “Faster!” He decapitated the first ant, juked to the side to avoid the claws of the second, burned the third alive with a blast of foxfire, ducked under the snapping mandibles of the fourth before slashing upwards and removing its head, and then unleashed a wave of foxfire to torch the second Killer Ant. The fifth and sixth ants tried to pincer him, but Bell threw himself forward and coated his entire left arm in foxfire before swinging it wide, throwing the spectral flames off his arm in a shower of fireballs.

Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom

The final two ants were blasted apart from the barrage and Bell was finally finished with the swarm.

“Hah…hah…” Bell breathed heavily as he looked over all the dead Killer Ants. “How many was that?” He quickly counted them all. “Twenty-four… I didn’t get injured either… Not too bad.” He managed to get his breathing steady again. “Still, if I’d been faster, this wouldn’t have been so dangerous.” Bell checked the cavern for any signs that more Monsters were going to be born, then listened for a long moment for any sounds of approaching Monsters. “Alright…let’s harvest these Killer Ants.” He sheathed his sword and pulled out his knife.

-Later-

Thunk

“Three…” Bell counted off as a Frog Shooter fell dead with an arrow lodged into its singular eye. He nocked another arrow and aimed higher this time, seeing the fluttering giant moth near the ceiling. He released his arrow once he was certain of his aim.

Thunk

The Purple Moth fell from the air and crashed into the floor with a thump.

“Four… What the?!” Bell counted only to be surprised when the ceiling cracked in multiple places, releasing multiple Purple Moths. The moth Monsters quickly flapped their wings, filling the corridor with their toxic powder. “Ack!” Bell hacked out as the poisonous dust touched his skin and he breathed some of it in. “Take this!” He nocked another arrow. “Foxfire!” The arrowhead erupted into the spectral flames before Bell unleashed it.

Boom

The blast of fire destroyed the Purple Moth that the arrow hit, but also spread out, burning another three Purple Moths and sending them to the ground with their wings on fire.

“Again!” Bell nocked another arrow and set the arrowhead alight with more foxfire. The arrow flew true, blasting apart the Purple Moth it struck while torching the wings of the ones around it. “Got you now!” Bell slung his short bow onto his backpack and drew his katana. He moved quickly to stab all of the downed Killer Moths and finish them off before anything else could happen.

Once the last Purple Moth was dead, Bell flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed it. Taking out the Antidote from the side of his backpack; Bell pulled the cork out and downed the medicine to prevent himself from becoming poisoned from so much of the Purple Moth’s toxic dust in the air.

“Ugh… Still bitter.” Bell grimaced at the taste of the antidote. He didn’t mind bitter flavors, in moderation, but the Antidote to deal with Monster poison was a bit too much. “Okay…how many does this make for today?” He pulled out his knife and got to work on harvesting his newest kills. “With any luck, I’ll be able to get the Drop Item from one of these Purple Moths.” It would sell well to the Blue Pharmacy where he usually got his potions and such from.

-Guild Exchange ~ Late Afternoon-

“Your Magic Stones were worth 13,146 Valis. The Goblin Fangs, Kobold Nails, and the Killer Ant Claws come out to 14,635 Valis. You’re total exchange today is 27,781 Valis. Please, have a nice evening.” The woman behind the glass pushed the tray back over to Bell’s side.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Bell collected his money and stowed it in his backpack. He’d definitely gotten some ‘Worldly Success’ today when it came to Drop Items. He left the Guild with a smile and headed in the direction of the Shinto District. The Blue Pharmacy wasn’t too far down West Main Street from them, if a little out of the way on a side street.

-Blue Pharmacy-

The bell above the door rang as it was opened, alerting the one at the counter to their new customer.

“Welcome, what can I get you today?” The cute Chienthrope woman with the soft brunette hair and cute dog ears atop her head asked.

“I have a Drop Item to sell today, Miss Naaza.” Bell greeted the woman with a smile.

Naaza smiled, her soft purple eyes looking at Bell like he was her little brother. “It’s good to see you again, Bell.”

“It’s good to see you too, Miss Naaza.” Bell returned with a grin. “I need another Antidote too.”

“Does that have anything to do with the Drop Item you want to sell today?” Naaza was already retrieving the Antidote from the shelves behind the counter.

Bell nodded as he carefully unwrapped the single Purple Moth wing he’d gotten today. “One Purple Moth Wing. I’m hoping for about 4,000 Valis.”

Naaza placed the Antidote next to the Purple Moth Wing before putting on a mask and a pair of gloves. “I’ll inspect it first, and then we can haggle on the price.” She gently picked up the wing, noting its condition and the amount of the toxic powder that remained on it. “Hmm…”

Bell waited patiently as Naaza did her inspection.

“I see.” Naaza carefully placed the Purple Moth Wing back down. “It’s not bad. A fair amount of the powder remains, which is a useful component for potions and medicine making. But it’s not worth 4,000 Valis.” She was in bartering mode now, her face impassive and her eyes looking directly into Bell’s. “I’ll give you 1,300 Valis for it.”

“I can come down a little, Miss Naaza…but even you don’t get to lowball me by that much.” Bell deadpanned at Naaza’s low offer. “3,700 Valis.”

Naaza’s expression didn’t change. “I’ll raise my offer to 1,500 Valis, but it’s not worth it for me to go any higher.”

Bell leaned forward a little, getting into the haggling. “3,500 Valis.”

“That’s far too high.” Naaza denied him. “Because we’re friends, I’ll go as high as 2,000 Valis.”

“3,200 Valis or I’ll take it to Dian Cecht Familia.” Bell said firmly.

Naaza’s eyes narrowed and behind her the fur of her tail bristled at hearing the name of that particular Familia. “You wouldn’t dare. 2,400 Valis.”

Bell knew he wouldn’t, but Naaza had been the one to teach him how to haggle a bit, so he wanted to put her lessons to the best use…even against her. “I will if I don’t get a fair price here. 3,000 Valis.”

“2,700 Valis, you traitor.” Naaza jibed at him.

“Deal.” Bell smiled at Naaza, making the Chienthrope glare for a moment longer before she sighed and a small smile crossed her face. “I think I taught you a bit too well, Bell.”

“You were a good teacher, Miss Naaza.” Bell smiled back at her as Naaza went to get his money.

Once the exchange was made, Bell placed his money into his hip pouch while Naaza took the Purple Moth Wing into the back.

“It’s almost funny that you showed up today, Bell.” Naaza mentioned as she came back out to sell Bell the Antidote.

“Why is that?” Bell asked curiously as he handed over the Valis for the Antidote before adding it to his backpack.

Naaza grinned as she closed the till. “Because Lady Inari was over here earlier today to discuss a business deal with Lord Miach.”

Bell blinked at that, having not known anything about it. “Business deal?”

“Yes, she wants to build a public bath in the Shinto District.” Naaza explained with a little smile. “It’s actually similar to an idea that I’ve been brainstorming for a while now. Unfortunately, with my Familia’s…situation.” She looked around at the small shop and the lack of any other Familia members. “We could never afford to bring it to fruition.”

“A public bath would be nice for the residents of the Shinto District.” Bell nodded, seeing where Inari was coming from with building one. “But what does that have to do with your Familia, Miss Naaza?”

“Well…” Naaza began to explain.

-Flashback ~ Earlier-

“You want what?” Miach blinked at Inari in surprise.

“I want healing baths.” Inari repeated with a smile. “Like how natural hot springs are said to have healing and beautification properties. I want that for the bathhouse that I build in the Shinto District!”

Miach sipped his tea thoughtfully as he considered how to answer such a request. “May I ask where this idea came from?”

Inari nodded once, her smile becoming soft and caring. “It was on quite a few of the wooden plaques hung on the Ema board at my shrine. I want to fulfill the wish of my new residents.” She looked at Miach with a lopsided grin. “As you know, there isn’t much of a ‘bathing culture’ in Orario. The only good bathhouse is the Divine Bathhouse for us Deities, and the ‘children’ aren’t allowed there.”

“True, bathing in Orario has almost always been seen as just a utilitarian need.” Miach agreed with a brief nod. “Most public washhouses are just places to shower off, get clean quickly, and then be on your way.”

“They don’t know the true joy of lounging in a tub of hot water and letting it soothe away the stress and pains of the day.” Inari sighed, almost dramatically, as she picked up her tea and took a sip. “That’s where you come in as part of this plan, Miach. I’d like the water in the bathhouse that I build to have some healing capabilities for the bathers. Nothing excessive, mind you, I’m not asking you for baths of Elixir or anything crazy.”

Miach chuckled lightly at that. “That would have to be a very expensive bath if you were.” Elixirs were the most powerful of all healing potions, after all, costing around 500,000 Valis for a single one. To have enough to fill even a standard bathtub would cost enough to build a massive palace. “Depending on the volume of water, you’d still require a fairly costly amount of ingredients to get the minute healing effect that I believe you want.”

Inari hummed thoughtfully. “Just enough healing to handle tiny injuries, small scrapes and cuts, and the soreness from a day of work would be exactly what I’m looking for.” She looked at Miach again. “Could you do it?”

“Once I know the volume of water, the temperature it would be for the baths, and a few other factors, then, yes, it could be done.” Miach said with a simple smile. “But my Familia doesn’t have the funds to purchase so many ingredients to make it feasible.”

“Leave that to me.” Inari smiled at getting Miach interested. “I’ll purchase the ingredients that you need and pay your Familia for your expertise to figure out the quantities needed once the bathhouse is built, but before we open it to the public.”

Miach hummed quietly for a moment. “And once I know how much of the ingredients you need…” His blue eyes looked at Inari. “You’ll want my Familia to do the compounding for your bathhouse’s special water, creating something that can be purchased and simply placed within the main water source to distribute it to all of the baths without needing a professional pharmacist there every time.”

Inari grinned at Miach for so quickly understanding her plan. “Correct. I’d pay your Familia appropriately, of course. Enough to cover the cost of ingredients, your expertise, and your labor.”

“And how much would you value expertise and labor to be worth?” Miach set his tea cup down to look at Inari seriously. This could be just the business deal that his Familia needed to finally pay off their crippling debt to his father’s Familia.

“Well, I’d want to pay for the recipe that you create for the water, of course. As I plan to keep that a secret so that others can’t copy it.” Inari began, showing why one of her Divine Domains was ‘Industry’. “I’m sure we could work out a fair price for that. Once we know the price of ingredients and the time it takes to do the compounding, then we could work out a weekly or monthly payment plan for your Familia’s compounding services.”

Naaza watched on, looking back and forth between Miach and Inari as the two Deities worked out their business deal together.

-End Flashback-

“And that’s how it went for a while until just after lunch.” Naaza finished with a smile. “I believe that it will be a rather profitable deal for our Familia, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Bell nodded in agreement. It would allow Inari to fulfill one of the most requested wishes of the new residents of the Shinto District, something he knew that she wanted to do, while also helping the struggling Miach Familia get themselves out of debt. “Then I look forward to working with you even more, Miss Naaza.” He smiled at his friend (and almost surrogate big sister).

“You and Lady Inari have our utmost gratitude, Bell.” Naaza bowed her head to Bell with a warm smile.

-Fushimi Taisha-

“I’m home.” Bell said as he opened the front door.

“Welcome home, Bell-sama.” One of the retainer men greeted him as he was heading to the kitchen to help with dinner preparations.

Bell took off his shoes and slipped on the house shoes to head for his room. “A quick bath and I’ll be ready to laze around tonight.”

Inari spotted Bell as he passed the communal living area and smile. “Bell!” She rushed over and nearly glomped him before she stopped and sniffed once. “Oh, wow… You need a bath, Bell. You must’ve been incredibly busy in the Dungeon today!”

“I worked pretty hard.” Bell agreed with a chuckle. “I’ll get a bath and then I’ll…”

“Rest.” Inari cut him off with a smile. “You’ll rest and take it easy. You’ve already done so much today, I can tell.”

Bell let out a playful sigh as he smiled. “Alright, I’ll take it easy.”

Inari crossed her arms and nodded. “Exactly.”

The two managed to hold it for all of a few seconds before they both cracked up and laughed.

“Come see me once you’re done with your bath. I’ll update your Status.” Inari said with a smile.

“Of course, Inari.” Bell nodded and headed for his room to get his dark blue jinbei that he wore around the house. It was great loungewear and it could be worn outside without looking out of place as it was casual summer clothing too, according to Inari, Ouka, Takemikazuchi, Koda, and Shin.

-Later-

“Killer Ants, huh?” Inari said as she watched Bell’s Excelia.

“Yeah, they swarm even without their pheromones. I see why they’re known to be ‘newbie killers’.” Bell replied as he recalled the fight with the swarm. “I managed to win thanks to my Magic.”

Inari smiled at how humble Bell was when it came to his growing skills. “You’re too modest, Bell. Your skills with your sword and the short bow have increased a lot from when you started. All your training has paid off and that’s why you were not only able to win, but come out of that fight unscathed.” It was a rather surprising thing, given how many newbie Adventurers lost their lives to Killer Ant swarms over the years. Bell didn’t even have a month of experience yet, but had not only survived a swarm, he’d defeated one all by himself. “You have a talent for being an Adventurer, Bell. It’s okay to have a little pride in the skills that you’ve worked and trained for.”

“Thank you, Inari.” Bell smiled at how kind Inari was.

“Just one more moment…” Inari moved the Excelia over into the Basic Abilities, watching the numbers climb as the Falna grew stronger. “There we go.” She placed a blank paper on Bell’s back and copied the new Status over with a swipe of her finger.

“Let’s see…” Bell took the paper when Inari handed it to him.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – D 556 > C 617

Endurance – D 541 > C 604

Dexterity – D 598 > C 660

Agility – D 550 > C 612

Magic – D 547 > C 609

-Magic-

Foxfire – Special Fire Magic – Swift Strike Magic/Enchantment

-Skills-

Han'ei no Yokubō (Prosperity Desire) – Fast growth. Greater desire results in faster growth. Greater effort results in larger growth. As a side-effect, those who work with the user experience faster growth in proportion to their efforts.

-Status-

Bell nodded at his growth with a smile. “Looks like facing that swarm and winning helped me take another step forward.”

Inari pulled Bell back into her chest with a smile and kissed the top of his head. “You did amazing, Bell.”

“Thank you.” Bell relaxed and just let Inari hold him. The feel of her large breasts against the back of his head was quite nice, after all.

A few minutes of the two just enjoying their closeness passed before a knock on the shoji door was heard.

“Inari-sama, Bell-sama, dinner is ready.” One of the female retainers said through the door.

Rmmmbllee

Bell’s stomach chose that moment to make itself known.

“Someone’s hungry.” Inari teased with a soft laugh.

“I could definitely eat.” Bell admitted with a grin of his own.

The two headed to dinner after sharing a quick kiss.

-Next Morning ~ Inari’s Room-

Bell woke up early, as he always did, his body set to ‘farm time’ after living his whole life in the mountain farming village. He was warm and comfortable, Inari lying cuddled up to him and her fluffy fox tails draped over them both.

Not feeling like moving or waking Inari up, Bell just relaxed and closed his eyes for now. Feeling Inari’s soft curves pressed against him was more than enough reason for Bell to stay right where he was. ‘She’s so cute when she’s sleeping.’ Bell thought as he briefly opened his eyes and looked down at Inari cuddled up to him, her head against his chest. Her cute fox ears twitched just slightly as she slept, her face graced with a cute little grin.

It was sometime later that Inari stirred. “Mmm…” She let out a cute little groan as she woke up.

“Good morning, Inari.” Bell said softly.

“Good…morning~” Inari yawned cutely as she returned Bell’s good morning. Sitting up all the way, lightly pushing off of Bell’s chest, Inari blinked a few times and spread her tails out while raising her arms above her head to stretch.

Bell blinked and his eyes went wide as Inari’s sleeping clothes came open. The tie having barely been holding on and the stretching pushing it beyond its flimsy capabilities. Inari’s large breasts bounced into Bell’s view for the first time and his rubellite eyes quickly tried to memorize them. Large, soft-looking, capped with light pink nipples, and perky as they bounced when Inari lowered her arms.

“Bell?” Inari looked down at him with a lazy smile.

“I-Inari…your breasts…” Bell respectfully looked to the side.

Inari looked down and saw her bare girls out in the open. “Hm?” She giggled as she looked back at Bell. “If it’s you, then it’s fine, Bell.” She closed her eyes and gave him a grin, making her look slightly more fox-like. “Wanna touch~?”

“Yes.” Bell admitted without looking.

“Then go ahead.” Inari opened her eyes and lightly thrust her chest out a bit more.

Bell finally turned to look at Inari again and his hands seemed to move without his conscious thought. He gently cupped Inari’s large tits and slowly ran his fingers over her soft skin. “Soft…” He marveled at their feeling and their weight in his hands.

Inari let out a soft hum of approval as Bell’s fingers ghosted over her nipples. “Ooh… Careful, Bell…they’re sensitive.” She pressed her tits more firmly into his hands.

Bell nodded without saying a word, his eyes and hands focused on Inari’s breasts and exploring every single millimeter of them, while his ears tried to catch every little sound she made so that he could memorize them and what his hands did to cause them.

The two of them were almost late for breakfast as they indulged a little in their new relationship.

-Dungeon ~ Floor Six-

“So… If I keep on the main route through the Floor for a bit and then turn right at the fourth corridor, I should be able to head pretty deep into the Floor and get off the more well-traveled paths.” Bell looked over his map to plot out his route for the morning.

“Bell?” A familiar voice asked from behind Bell.

Bell turned to look and smiled at the woman. “Miss Ais. It’s nice to see you again.”

Ais returned the smile with a small one of her own. “…it’s nice to see you again.”

“Are you heading into the Dungeon all by yourself today?” Bell asked, not seeing anyone with Ais.

“Yes.” Ais answered simply.

Bell noticed the sword on her hip was different than the one he’d seen when he’d been saved from the Minotaur. “Is that a new sword?”

Ais looked at the rapier on her hip for a second. “It…was loaned to me. My sword is being given maintenance.”

“I see.” Bell knew he’d need to get his weapons maintained on his next day off as well. “I’m heading this way.” He pointed to the corridor that he was searching for as they walked together.

“Mm.” Ais looked at the corridor that Bell was heading towards and then down the main route through the Sixth Floor that would take her to the Seventh Floor and then even deeper into the Dungeon. Looking at Bell’s back as he walked away, Ais felt strange…but not in a bad way…just, different, than she’d felt on her usual solo runs into the Dungeon. ‘I need to go down to the Middle Levels…to get stronger… But…’ Her golden eyes drifted back over to Bell.

Not even sure why she did it, Ais followed after Bell instead of going deeper into the Dungeon alone.

“Miss Ais?” Bell looked over his shoulder when he heard Ais following behind him. “Did you need something?”

“No.” Ais shook her head once.

Bell considered why Ais would be following him for a moment, but decided to put it out of his mind. ‘It could be nice to have some company.’

The two walked down the corridor, passing through the first cavern they came across and then taking the corridor on the left side of the cavern. As they walked, the two kept their senses sharp for any sign of Monsters.

“Gero!” A Frog Shooter croaked and launched its tongue at Bell the instant the two entered the second cavern.

Shing

Ais had cut off the tongue and sliced the Frog Shooter nearly in half in the same time that Bell had drawn his sword.

“Whoa…” Bell blinked at the sheer speed that Ais could move and react to a threat.

“Sorry.” Ais apologized, realizing that she’d reacted instinctively and stolen Bell’s prey.

Bell shook his head. No…it’s fine. I need to follow your example, Miss Ais, and be faster.”

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

Crack

The Dungeon seemingly obliged Bell as six more Frog Shooters spawned from the walls simultaneously.

“Gero!”

“Kero!”

The six Frog Shooters locked onto the two Adventurers quickly and launched their long tongues at Bell and Ais.

Bell moved forward, slicing off the first tongue to get near him. He dodged the second and the third tongues, and cut down the first Frog Shooter with his sword. Without missing a step, Bell pivoted to the right, to avoid another lashing tongue and rushed the next Frog Shooter. “Hyah!” He nearly decapitated it with his katana before backstepping to avoid the third Frog Shooter’s tongue. He sliced the extended tongue off and blitzed towards the injured Frog Shooter before it could recover. “Yah!” The frog Monster’s head went flying and landed with a wet splat a couple meters away.

Ais watched Bell’s movements and how quickly he killed the three Frog Shooters. ‘He’s gotten stronger…faster… But it’s only been a couple of days.’ She could tell that Bell had grown considerably just from watching him. Comparing Bell to her memories of her own time at Level 1, the rate of growth was far greater.

“Are you…finished…” Bell trailed off as he saw Ais watching him, three dead Frog Shooters on the floor right where they’d been when they’d attacked. ‘She killed all three of them before they could even move!’ Bell could only chuckle at the vast difference between him and Ais. “You’re amazingly fast, Miss Ais.”

“Thank you…” Ais said a little absently, still trying to figure out how Bell could’ve improved so much in a matter of days. Even for a Level 1 that was working hard and had some talent, a few days shouldn’t be enough to improve this much.

Bell harvested his three Frog Shooters, while Ais took care of her own, and the two were back on their way deeper into the Sixth Floor.

-Later-

Ais stood back as Bell fought a group of War Shadows. She followed each and every one of his movements, how he moved, the way he wielded his sword, and even is odd Fire Magic.

“Foxfire!” Bell cast his spell into his blade and decapitated one War Shadow, before continuing the swing and slicing through the second War Shadow beside it. As both fell dead to the ground, Bell blocked a third War Shadow’s claws with his han kote and countering with his sword to cut off the War Shadow’s left arm. As the spectral flames clung to the severed stump, the War Shadow ‘looked’ at the injury, only to be cut from shoulder to hip by Bell.

“Gugugu!”

“Gugugu!”

Two more War Shadows were coming at Bell from behind, their knife-like claws swinging towards Bell’s back.

Ais was about to move, but stopped as Bell turned and swung his burning blade.

From Bell’s foxfire-covered sword a wave of the spectral flames was unleashed, engulfing the charging War Shadows and burning them to death. Bell conjured a few fireballs from his special fire and sent them arcing through the air to strike another two War Shadows that were coming at him from both sides.

Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom

The War Shadows staggered, their charged completely stalled, and Bell cut down the one on the right first with his sword as it burned. The second staggered around on fire for a moment before falling dead as well.

“Whew…” Bell let out a breath as he managed to make some more progress with controlling his foxfire. “Still have a ways to go, but I think I’m getting closer to the stories that Inari told me about how her ‘helpers’ used their foxfire.”

Ais lightly clapped for Bell’s impressive showing against the group of War Shadows. “That was…very good, Bell.” She wasn’t even exaggerating. A newbie, which Bell would still very much qualify as given his time as an Adventurer, shouldn’t be able to singlehandedly take on a group of War Shadows already. The Monsters had earned the ‘newbie killer’ nickname for a reason.

Bell smiled at the praise. “Thank you, Miss Ais.” He still thought that he could do better, but hearing praise from a Level 5 like Ais was nice.

As Bell harvested the War Shadows, Ais was keeping watch for him, while also thinking to herself. ‘How did Bell get so much stronger in such a short time? He’s working hard…but that shouldn’t be enough.’ She would know…given how often she came into the Dungeon solo in her endless pursuit of greater strength.

“Drop Item! Nice!” Bell’s excited voice snapped Ais out of her thoughts.

Seeing the way Bell smiled and how his rubellite eyes practically sparkled as he looked at the War Shadow Finger Blade made a small smile form on Ais’s lips.

‘He gets quite lucky with Drop Items, doesn’t he.’ Ais thought as this was Bell’s tenth…or maybe eleventh…Drop Item since they started.

“Ready to go, Miss Ais?” Bell asked after he’d finished with the last War Shadow.

“Yes.” Ais agreed and the two continued on their way.

-Later-

Bell grimaced as he cut down a Killer Ant, pivoted to the right to dodge the claws of another, and sliced through its head. “Foxfire!” The spectral flames blazed through the Killer Ants swarming him, torching them black and killing the group around him. “There’s so many!”

Indeed, the corridor that he and Ais had walked into was filled with Killer Ants, and it was with dawning realization that Bell realized that his path through the outer edges had led them into what was basically a Killer Ant nest.

“No time to complain!” Bell continued to fight, moving to take down another Killer Ant. He deflected the claws of the Killer Ant he’d targeted, pivoted to the left to decapitate it, then unleashed a barrage of fireballs at the Killer Ants trying to swarm towards him. The flames exploded against the Monsters, but even as they fell dead, more Killer Ants simply crawled over them to continue the attack. “Faster!” Bell wreathed his sword in foxfire and easily split the head of the next ant, then bisected the second, cleaved through the head of the third, stomped on the head of the second to finished it off, dodged the claws of the fourth, ducked beneath the mandibles of the fifth, and cut through the legs of both the fourth and fifth ants to knock them to the ground before stabbing both of them and engulfing them in more foxfire. “Faster!” He moved to avoid a sixth Killer Ant, took its head off with his blade, blocked the claws of another with his han kote, blasted it pointblank with foxfire to kill it, cut down the eighth with his katana cleaving straight through both of its claws and then its head, and backstepped to avoid the snapping mandibles of the ninth. “Hyah!” Bell decapitated the ninth Killer Ant and spun almost two-hundred-seventy degrees to cleaved the tenth Killer Ant in two with a trail of spectral flames following the swing of his sword.

It was then that Bell saw it.

A blur of white and gold moving through the horde of Killer Ants.

The Monsters stood no chance at all. Everywhere the blur went, Killer Ants were nearly shredded to nothing as their parts splattered on the floor. Heads, claws, legs, thoraxes, everything that the ants were made of flew through the air along with their blood. In mere seconds, only a moment or two really, Ais came to a stop and flicked the rapier to the side to clean off the blood.

“Whoa…” Bell could only stare at the mass of Killer Ants that Ais had slain while he’d only dealt with around twenty-five at most. If there had been eighty Killer Ants when they’d stumbled upon this ‘nest’, then Ais had easily killed around fifty-five in just a matter of seconds. ‘I think it might’ve been more…but its hard to tell with how thoroughly Ais cut them apart.’

“You did well, Bell.” Ais said with a small smile. ‘He’s already strong enough to fight off a swarm of Killer Ants by himself. How…are you growing so fast?’

Bell smiled at the praise but shook his head. “I’m still nowhere close to you, Miss Ais.” He looked over the vast disparity in the number of Monsters slain. “I need to be faster…stronger…” He clenched his left hand into a tight fist.

Ais felt her heart go out to Bell as she heard his desire to get stronger. ‘I know that feeling… I want to get stronger too.’

“Well, I think we should get started harvesting these Killer Ants… It’s gonna take a while, I think.” Bell let out a dull laugh at seeing how many Killer Ants (and Killer Ant remnants) they’d have to go through to get all of the Magic Stones.

“Okay.” Ais agreed as she knelt down to the largest piece of Killer Ant next to her to check for the Magic Stone.

-Afternoon-

“More like this…” Ais demonstrated as she swung her borrowed rapier and split a Purple Moth in two along its body without touching the wings at all.

Bell nodded as the two halves of the moth Monsters fell to the ground. “I see.” He took aim and swung his katana. “Like this!” Another Purple Moth was split in two and both halves fell to the ground not too far from the first.

Ais nodded with a small smile. “This way…you have a better chance of killing them before they spread their poison. The Drop Item is also more likely…with the wings intact.”

“Right, that makes sense.” Bell said as he considered that the Purple Moth Wing, the Drop Item of the Purple Moth, would naturally have a better chance of dropping if both of the Monster’s wings were undamaged. “You’re really knowledgeable, Miss Ais.”

“I learned it from my Familia.” Ais wouldn’t take credit for knowing this bit of advice. She often didn’t consider Drop Items when she went into the Dungeon solo. There were times that she didn’t even bother with Magic Stones, only concerned with hunting more Monsters to get stronger.

Bell shrugged once as he knelt down to the Purple Moth he’d killed. “I’m still learning a lot from you, Miss Ais. Thank you for that.”

‘He’s learning from me? Am…Am I teaching someone?’ Ais had never thought about teaching another Adventurer before. She wouldn’t even know where to start. But Bell was learning from her while they took on the Sixth Floor? “You’re welcome…” She didn’t know why, but her chest felt…lighter, maybe? It was a new sensation for Ais, but one that she found enjoyable.

Without even realizing it, a cute smile crossed Ais’s lips as she knelt down to harvest her own Purple Moth.

-Base of Babel Tower ~ Late Afternoon-

Bell and Ais had just emerged from the Dungeon after spending the entire day together. Bell was all smiles as he had a full pouch and backpack of Magic Stones and Drop Items. Ais had her own fair share of Magic Stones and Drop Items too, far more than she would’ve expected for a solo day. It didn’t even occur to Ais that she hadn’t once thought about going any deeper into the Dungeon, like she normally would have, after she’d met Bell by chance this morning.

“This was fun, Miss Ais.” Bell smiled brightly at Ais as they walked side-by-side. “Thank you for spending the day with me, I really enjoyed it.”

“I…had fun too, Bell.” Ais said, even as she realized that she did indeed have fun today, rather than be lost in her normal thoughts of killing Monsters and getting stronger. Why did her stomach suddenly feel all…fluttery?

Bell was happy that Ais had enjoyed her time with him. ‘She taught me new things, and even showed me how much further I still need to go.’ He couldn’t have been more thankful to Ais for spending the day with him, together.

The two of them turned a couple heads as they walked together through the streets and even more eyes were on them when they entered the Guild.

Ais and Bell sold their Magic Stones at the Exchange, but when Bell was about to put some of his Drop Items on the counter, Ais stopped him with a small shake of her head.

Bell gave his report to Rose, who clearly kept glancing at Ais, before leaving the Guild.

“This way.” Ais pointed down the street and Bell followed after her.

“Where are we going?” Bell asked as they walked down the street together.

Ais pointed at a specific sign hanging off a building. “There.”

It was a Hephaestus Familia shop. One that Bell had window shopped at before as he admired some of the amazing weapons on display.

“Hm? Kenki, you’re back again?” The large Bull man behind the counter asked with a chuckle. He had dark hair, a tan complexion, and large muscles from working in the forge. “Another day in the Dungeon?” He was clearly familiar with Ais and her habit of going into the Dungeon almost every day.

“Mm.” Ais nodded to the man as she set all of her Drop Items on the counter.

The Bull man looked at the items and raised an eyebrow. “These are all Upper Floor Drop Items…that’s unlike you.” He looked at Ais before his hazel eyes moved over to Bell. “Ah…” He could see the obvious. “Well, let’s have a look.”

Bell watched as the Bull man examined each of Ais’s Drop Items with the ease of years of experience.

“Alright, for the lot, I’ll give you 17,370 Valis, sound good?” The blacksmith offered a fair price.

“Yes.” Ais accepted the price without haggling. This shop was a regular selling place for many in the Loki Familia, they had good relations and didn’t have to worry about getting scammed or lowballed here.

The exchange was made as the blacksmith set down Ais’s payment while he moved the Drop Items into various bins that were clearly labeled.

“Now, how about your friend there?” The Bull man nodded at Bell with a friendly grin.

Bell approached the counter and placed his Drop Items down. “This is all I have today, sir.”

The blacksmith looked over Bell’s collection of items. “Huh, all from one day? You two really got lucky.” He looked over the Goblin Fangs, Kobolds Nails, and moved the two War Shadow Finger Blades to the side. “You two must’ve cleared out the Killer Ants on whatever Floor you were on…” The Bull man laughed as he saw how many Killer Ant Claws that Bell and Ais had turned in. “Alright, how’s 18,650 Valis sound to you?”

Bell glanced down at his, now organized, items and then back up at the Bull man. “That works for me, sir.” The two shook hands to seal the deal.

“One second and I’ll have your money.” The Bull man opened the till again and collected the appropriate amount of coins. “There you are.” He put them on the counter for Bell to count while he took the Drop Items and placed each of them in their appropriately labeled bin.

Bell and Ais left the shop a short time later; Bell smiling at the price he’d gotten for his Drop Items.

“Thank you for showing me this shop, Miss Ais. I got more Valis for my Drop Items today.” It wasn’t a massive increase, but a few thousand Valis wasn’t something that Bell would pass up while the Inari Familia was still setting themselves up within Orario.

“Ais.” Ais said and Bell looked at her curiously. “Just call me Ais. That’s what everyone calls me…” She looked at Bell for a moment in silence. “…does it make you uncomfortable?”

Bell shook his head instantly. “No! Not at all! I’ll…call you Ais, then.”

Ais smiled a little, and Bell found himself smiling back.

‘She’s got a beautiful smile.’ Bell thought to himself as they started walking down the street again.

When they got to the end of the street, Ais pointed to their left. “I have to go this way.”

“My Familia is this way.” Bell pointed to their right.

The two looked at each other for a moment…only to look away after another moment.

“Thank you again for spending the day with me, Ais.” Bell gave her a short bow and a smile.

“I had…fun.” Ais smiled back, once more feeling the fluttery sensation in her stomach and the lightness in her heart.

The two parted ways as the sun began to sink and bathe Orario in an orange glow.

-Fushimi Taisha-

“Bell!” Inari hugged Bell close, regardless of the smell today…though she did pull away from the hug a moment later. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Inari.” Bell said with a smile. “I spent the day in the Dungeon with Ais Wallenstein and learned some new things.”

Inari looked at Bell for a long moment before she gave him a fox-like grin. “Oh? Did you go on a Dungeon Date with your crush?”

“I-Inari!” Bell sputtered once, making Inari laughed brightly at him.

“I’ll see all of it once I give you your Status Update.” Inari teased while playfully pushing Bell towards the baths.

-Later-

Bell sat with his bare back facing Inari, trying not to let his cheeks turn red every time he heard her giggle softly as she watched his Excelia for the day.

“My, my, you two get along well, don’t you~?” Inari giggled as she saw how much Ais seemed to open up to Bell throughout the day.

“Ais is a kind person.” Bell said as he felt Inari’s finger move against his skin. “It was nice getting to learn from her today.”

Inari smiled as she deciphered the hieroglyphs of what had manifested within Bell’s Falna. ‘She did more than teach you, Bell. She made your desire and determination grow and burn even stronger.’ She wrote the new addition into Bell’s Falna and then moved the Excelia over into his Basic Abilities. Placing a blank paper onto Bell’s skin, Inari copied the new update over and then handed it to Bell. “Here you go, Bell.”

Bell took the paper with a smile. “Thank you, Inari.” He felt Inari lock up his Falna as he looked over the paper to see how a day spent with Ais had affected his growth.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – C 617 > C 679

Endurance – C 604 > C 662

Dexterity – C 660 > B 718

Agility – C 612 > C 677

Magic – C 609 > C 670

-Magic-

Foxfire – Special Fire Magic – Swift Strike Magic/Enchantment

-Skills-

Han'ei no Yokubō (Prosperity Desire) – Fast growth. Greater desire results in faster growth. Greater effort results in larger growth. As a side-effect, those who work with the user experience faster growth in proportion to their efforts.

Shukuchi (Reduced Earth) – High-speed movement that makes the user appear to blur or vanish to the eyes of others. Effect rises based on the Agility stat. Active Trigger.

-Status-

“I have a new Skill!” Bell exclaimed as his eyes lit up in shock and joy. He quickly read over it, then read it a second time, and then a third for good measure. “High-speed movement…” Bell couldn’t help but smile as he recalled Ais’s speed in the Dungeon. If his new Skill could help him get even a step closer to that speed then he’d be thrilled.

“Yes, you do.” Inari was giggling behind the sleeve of her kimono. “Someone was VERY inspired by what they saw today.”

Bell felt his cheeks burn and knew he’d lost the battle against blushing from Inari’s teasing.

Inari wrapped her arms around Bell and held him softly, kissing his shoulder, then his neck, and finally his cheek. “Why don’t we celebrate your new Skill a little bit, Bell~”

Bell offered exactly zero resistance to Inari’s offer and the two were quickly kissing again as Bell turned around and pulled Inari into his lap.

-Twilight Manor ~ Afternoon-

Ais entered her Familia’s home with a small smile on her lips. “I’m home.” She said, even though no one was currently in the entry hall.

That changed quickly as Tiona ran in and then flying glomped Ais, pulling her ‘third sister’ into a warm hug. “AIS!!! Were you in the Dungeon again?!”

“Yes.” Ais answered as she briefly returned Tiona’s hug.

“Again?” Tione let out a sigh. “We just got back from the expedition, Ais. You can take a break, you know?”

Ais nodded slightly, but her small smile didn’t drop, something that Tione and Tiona noticed.

“You look like you had fun, Ais.” Tiona smiled at happily. “Did you get down real far today?”

Ais shook her head slightly. “No. I stayed on the Sixth Floor.”

Tione tilted her head a little at that. “The Sixth Floor? Why there?”

“I met Bell on the Sixth Floor this morning. We stayed together the whole day.” Ais explained simply.

Tiona’s eyes widened.

Tione’s eyes widened.

Both sisters looked at each other, then back at Ais.

“Did you have a Dungeon Date with Bell?!” Tione asked in surprise.

“That’s so cute, Ais! You had a Dungeon Date with Bell!” Tiona cheered for her ‘sister’ in all but blood and squeezed her a little with a bright smile.

Riveria, who’d been walking into the entry hall to greet Ais, stopped dead in her tracks with her jade green eyes wide in shock.

Loki, having been coming down the stairs to flirt with Ais, nearly fell down the remaining steps as she stumbled over her feet. “What?!” She scrambled up from the floor and rushed towards Ais. “Say it isn’t so, Ais-tan!” She tried to hug Ais, but the swordswoman pivoted to the side and let Loki nearly run into the front doors. “What punk thinks they’re good enough to have a Dungeon Date with my Ais-tan?!”

“Bell.” Ais answered, though her cheeks were pink now as she realized that she and bell had fulfilled all of the normal things that Adventurers did on Dungeon Dates. They’d traveled the Dungeon together, fought together, killed Monsters together, they’d even eaten their lunches together.

“Tell us all about it, Ais.” Tione looped her right arm around Ais’s left arm. “You got ahead of us…being sneaky~” She teased with a grin.

“Yeah! We want to hear how your date went!” Tiona agreed with her sister, looping her left arm around Ais’s right arm. “But we get the next dates, okay? No hogging Bell!” She laughed brightly, making Ais reflexively smile.

Ais was blushing now as she was walked along by Tiona and Tione.

Riveria was still standing in the entry hall with wide eyes.

“I think they broke ‘Mama’.” Loki said as she waved her hand in front of Riveria’s face to try and snap the High Elf out of it.

-Evening-

“First one again, Ais-tan~” Loki giggled as Ais entered her room for a Status Update.

“Mm.” Ais’s response was muted as her ‘Dungeon Date’ with Bell had eventually spread throughout the Familia, shocking everyone. She’d calmed down by basically hiding in her room for the last few hours. Only Riveria had been allowed in as the two talked and Ais told Riveria everything she knew about Bell.

It had been a ‘mother-daughter’ talk and Ais was grateful for it as Riveria’s maternal affection had helped soothe her as it always did.

“Well, come on…” Loki patted the stool in front of her with a big grin. “Off with the shirt!”

Ais gave Loki a flat look as she turned her back and undid the straps of her sundress, gathering the cloth at the front to cover her breasts as she sat down.

Loki giggled as her fingers wiggled in the air. “Ah~ Such a sight to behold every time that I see you~”

A sharp golden eye staring at her from over Ais’s shoulder made Loki freeze. It was a warning gaze that made it abundantly clear what Ais would do to Loki if the Goddess got handsy.

Ais felt the drop of blood touch her back and the familiar blue-white glow appeared in the periphery of her vision.

“Hm…” Loki saw the (rather simple) day that Ais had in the Dungeon. “Wait…that’s Inari’s little bunny! I thought that name sounded familiar!” Loki recalled meeting Inari’s Captain when she bought the Divine Sake from the Fox Goddess. Watching further, Loki hummed “He’s not too bad…way better than expected for a newbie Adventurer.” She saw Bell’s actions in the Dungeon through Ais’s eyes as she watched the Excelia until the end. “Still, he’s a thieving rabbit, trying to go after my Ais-tan…” She moved the Excelia over into Ais’s Basic Abilities. “Eh?”

“Hm?” Ais looked over her shoulder at Loki upon hearing the small exclamation.

Loki rubbed her eyes once, looked again, shook her head, and looked once more. “How?” She placed a blank paper onto Ais’s back and copied the update over. “This is…odd.” Loki said as she handed the paper to Ais while locking up her Falna.

Ais, now perplexed at just what could confuse Loki, looked at her new Status Update.

-Status-

Ais Wallenstein

Level 5

Strength – D 559 > D 563

Endurance – D 549 > D 552

Dexterity – A 821 > A 827

Agility – A 819 > A 824

Magic – A 895 > A 898

-Magic-

Ariel – Incantation: “Tempest.” Wind Enchantment Magic

-Skills-

Avenger – Heavily increases the user's attack power against Monsters, massively increases the user's attack power against Dragon Type Monsters. Effect rises based on the user's hate.

-Developmental Abilities-

Hunter – G (Improves abilities against monsters that the user has fought before and gained Excelia from.)

Abnormal Resistance – G (Negates the effect of abnormalities such as poison and paralysis.)

Swordsman – I (Improves all Basic Abilities while wielding a sword by a large amount.)

-Status-

“How…?” Ais stared at her Status in surprise. It was reasonable for Ais to be surprised like this. These were numbers only a few points lower than the gain she’d gotten from Loki Familia’s last expedition! ‘But I stayed on the Sixth Floor all day…with Bell…’ Ais’s thought made her eyes widened as she realized the only notable thing that had happened today.

As impossible as it seemed, but with nothing else having happened to account for this growth, Ais had to conclude that spending the day with Bell…even just on the Sixth Floor…had made her grow more than normal.

“I think we better keep this quiet for now, Ais-tan.” Loki said with seriousness that her Familia only saw when their Goddess meant business. “I’ll talk to a certain Foxy Goddess soon and try to figure this out for you, alright?”

“Okay.” Ais agreed as she saw the look on Loki’s face. Looking at her Status Update again, Ais felt her heart thump in her chest. ‘Bell…’ She thought with a little smile on her lips. No matter what Loki found out, Ais made a promise to herself then and there that she wouldn’t let anyone take advantage of Bell…whether he was the cause of this growth or not.

A new feeling was beginning to form in Ais’s heart…one so very different than the ugly black flame of revenge that had been there for so long…and it made her feel lighter than she had since she’d been a little girl with her mother and father.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Inari and Miach are working on a new business deal together.

Healing water bathhouse! Woohoo!

You can’t have a Far Eastern District without a proper public bathhouse!

Inari sees the prayers and wishes of her new residents on the Ema board of her shrine and, like any kind Deity, seeks to fulfill their ‘prayers’.

Such a business deal will also help Miach Familia pay back their crippling debt and free themselves of the burden sooner! Yay!

Inari and Bell spend a little time in the morning deepening their new relationship! Hehehe~

Bell and Ais have an adorable Dungeon Date! So cute!

Tione and Tiona are happy and playfully jealous. Kek!

Ais is starting to feel new feelings! It’s cute that she doesn’t even know what they are yet. Our adorable airhead is going to fall in love! Aww~

But spending the day with Bell, even on the Sixth Floor, still counts as ‘working with the user’ for how Bell’s Growth Hack Skill works!

Me thinks that Inari is going to be having TWO visitors asking about that rather soon!

How will that work out as Bell continues to grow and attract more attention?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!