Chapter 20 - My SI Stash #20 - Member of Miachs Familia by NakaruSoul (Danmachi) (1/2)

-Somehow I found this WW3 Soldier reincarnated to Danmachi fanfic really wholesome????

Sypnosis: Go on adventures? Nah, no time for that. Get involve with dealing with a cult that threatens the entirety of Orario? I'll let the main casts deal with that. What am I going to do you ask? Earn enough money to pay off my Familia's debt of course. Who knows, maybe I'll even fall in love and get married at some point. Assuming that I manage to survive that long that is.

Rated: T

Words: 72K

Posted on: fanfiction.net/s/13366594/1/Member-of-Miach-s-Familia (NakaruSoul)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1

AN: Alright, a few things to note before you begin.

1) I might get facts wrong about the Danmachi universe so please do tell me when I do.

And lastly,

3) This is actually a plot bunny so the story is not fully flesh out yet. Ideas are welcome.

Okay, I'm done. Please do enjoy.

-0-

There will always be a time in your life where you would question the decisions that you've made that led you to where you are now. The countless paths that you could've taken that would've led to multiple different outcomes and yet, you somehow manage to choose all the right ones that put you that predicament in the first place and you couldn't help but wonder what life would be like had you just taken another path.

Since I'm leading the story with that, you can predictably guess that time for me is right now.

”Oh sonova-” I let spew an unrestrained curse but was interrupted when I had to duck under a swiping claw of a Kobold least I lose my eyes.

Just in case you didn't know, a Kobold is a humanoid creature with a dog's head. It's a very odd sight I know but trust me when I say that it's not the strangest thing that you'll see in this world.

I retaliated by kneeing the creature at where the balls would be at if it had any. Thankfully, the monsters in this world didn't have any genitals. Can you imagine the amount of bestiality there would be if they had? There are Goblins in this world, GOBLINS! If this world was the anime that shalt not be named, there would be plenty newbie female Adventurers being r_a_p_ed at all times.

The Kobold let out a pained cry and flinched back involuntarily, creating some distance between us that I exploited mercilessly. I lunged in and thrust the short sword in my hand into it's throat. The sword dug into the Kobold's flesh with a bit of resistance and because of poor maintenance, it snapped in half from the force of my thrust.

The Kobold fell down to the floor with a piece of my sword in it's neck, gurgling in it's own blood before finally ceasing movement. I look towards the broken weapon in my hand and cursed again at the bad timing. I knew not taking care of it would come to bite me in the a_s_s one day but I honestly don't have the time to do so. So this is how much abuse I could expect from a guild issued weapon to take before it breaks. I thought to myself as I look in front of me.

Now that the Kobold is dealt with, let's get back to the reason why I was regretting my decisions. It's mainly because I had my back to a wall and is about to be gang banged by a bunch of other hairy doggos that's en route to my location along with a few goblins thrown into the mix as well. Note to self, memorize the map before going to a new floor. I let out a growl as I ready myself for combat, trying my best not to let my enemies out of my sight as they started to enter my vision.

As to what led me to this predicament, it all started from when I tried killing a monster while exploring the new floor that I've just been authorized to enter this morning. Like a noob that I am, I did not properly make sure that there's nothing nearby while I killed it, causing it's friends to hear it's dying cry and came charging at me. The numbers were a lot more than I would normally fight against so I did the smart thing and bailed. Unfortunately, this is a floor that I've never been to so I am not familiar with the routes to take in order to return to the previous floor. Instead of reaching somewhere safe, I ran around like a headless chicken, unfortunately attracting more monsters until I hit a dead end in a narrow passageway and thus, leaving me in this situation.

In hindsight, had I just killed those Kobolds when they came to me, I wouldn't be facing against such uneven odds right now. Now I'm going to be maul to death by a bunch of werewolf rejects and the typical ugly bastards in h_e_n_t_a_i doujins. Why did I even want to be an Adventurer again? Oh right, money problems.

Alright, let's assess the situation. I thought and did a head count on the amount of monsters that I have to deal with. I counted 20 total from what I could see running my way and that's a lot more than the 3 at a time that I'm used to dealing with. Right now the nearest monsters are the Kobolds and the Goblins are still catching up a few paces behind them. Good, that means I don't have to deal with them all at once.

That Kobold that I killed just now was the fastest among the group so it reached me first before the rest of it's peers could. The rest could arrive at different intervals, allowing me to deal with them 1 or 2 at a time if I'm lucky.

My weapon is now broken, halving my range effectively so it's now more of a dagger than a short sword. I'll just have to keep that in mind while I fight so I don't mistake my range for the sword that I'm accustomed to using.

Looking around yields no path of escape so if I want to survive this, I have to deal with those monsters before me.

Fighting them all sounds very stupid because I'm very low on stamina from all the running I did. Do I create an opening and run? No, wait. That won't solve the issue of not knowing where I am and I could be running around aimlessly again and end up at another dead end with even more monsters after me.

Ugh, looks like killing them all is the only option available for me. I just have to be conservative with my actions in order to conserve stamina then, no biggie right? Whose balls do I have to fondle to get a gun around here. I would literally kill a god for an assault rifle right now.

I watch tensely as they got nearer and had to let out a sign of annoyance when I saw that they had grouped up when coming through the narrow corridor. ”There goes my luck.” I murmured as I steady myself, ignoring the small voice in the back of my head constantly shouting 'I'm so f_u_c_k_e_d' in favor of letting my mind sink into what I like'd to call, 'Combat Trance'. It's a neat trick that I have. It filter out every stray thoughts and allows me to focus solely on my surroundings and objectives.

Knowing that I couldn't do anything about how the monsters are approaching me, I chose to ignore that faint hope that maybe I could get them to separate somehow and started crouching down into a sprinting start. I plan to spring towards the nearest monster to kill it and take out a few more when they're still surprised before fighting to the death with the rest. As I crouch down, my hand brush against the pouch hanging on my waist and my eyes widen slightly when I realized that it's still there. To be fair, I've never really need to use it before so I may have forgotten about it for a bit.

Well, this changes everything. I thought to myself with the feeling of relief blooming in my c_h_e_s_t. In my haste to escape, I had forgotten that I have brought along tools that could help me when I got into tough situations such as this.

I quickly dug into the pouch with my free hand and procure a bunch of small marble size smoke bombs in my palm, all homemade. They would make this a whole lot easier than what I originally had in mind

Okay, new plan. Smoke assassination it is. I close my hand around the smoke bombs and use the spare cloth that I have in the pouch to cover the lower half of my face so I don't inhale any smoke. I got into a running start, turning my entire attention towards the incoming horde.

Predictably, the Kobolds were at the forefront of the small mob since they were faster then the Goblins. They all charge at me with the intent to decorate the space with my blood and guts.

Once they were but a few meters away from reaching me, I shot forwards like an arrow, kicking up dust and dirt behind me. I ram my broken sword into the nearest Kobold's head and used it's body as a shield to ram against another onto the ground. While that was happening, I use my other arm to throw the smoke bombs into the ground, causing an extremely thick smoke screen to erupt on impact, effectively covering the entire area that I'm in with black fumes. I'm now shrouded in smoke, making me invisible to my enemies but in return, it also hides them from my view as well.

I could hear the Kobold that I had knock onto the ground getting up and I move swiftly towards where it is and saw it's silhouette in the smoke. I slid it's throat before it could cause me trouble; blood sprayed and it's body thump against the ground while I kept on moving. I focus on ears on the sounds that the monsters are making and my eyes on any moving silhouettes, repeating what I have done with the rest of the monsters.

Soon, the smoke lifted and the floor was littered with the carcasses of my enemies. I took off my mask and the bag on my back so I could sit against the wall without harming it's contents, panting like a dog as I try to regain my bearings.

I think this should be enough for the day. I thought to myself as I look over the mess that I've made. I lean my head against the wall and took deep breaths. I'll just rest up a bit before I dig the magic stones out and head back. Yeah, sounds like a plan.

I kept my awareness of my surroundings up at all times while I rested, thinking to myself about the mistakes that I've made today and what I could to do improve myself.

I also gave myself a once-over to check the damage that I had sustained so far. My black long sleeved shirt, trousers and boots are all fine and is merely covered in dirt. At least I don't have much blood on me this time. I'll be able to sleep early tonight instead of spending the night washing it off my clothes. As you can see, I have a black theme going for me because it's useful for stealth. Being a solo Adventurer meant that I have no one to watch my back so I had to improvise with sneaking around and killing things. It's not as fast as a frontal assault but definitely safer...so long as I don't get spotting like I did earlier.

My Guild issued c_h_e_s_t armor looks worn and has some light scratches and small dents on it but those were from older engagements. My sword on the other hand, is now half the length it used to be. Can it be repaired? I thought as I look at it, wondering if I should look for a blacksmith later. Then I remembered how much services like that cost and immediately drop that idea. Oh screw it, I'll just file it down when I get home and turn it into a dagger instead. I grumbled internally.

I sheath my sword into it's scabbard on my waist and focus on recovering as much energy as I can for my trip back. It won't be pretty if I run into more monsters and is too tired to even fight or run.

Now that I'm reasonably safe, well, as safe as one could get in the Dungeon, I figured now is as good as any to start the exposition about my backstory like any anime would do when a character is introduced. You probably noticed the references that I've made earlier and came to a conclusion that I am not from this world. If you did, then you're absolutely right.

But since I'm not really in the mood for long winded exposition that the main characters somehow always manage to spew out of their asses that took the entirety of an episode, I'll keep the explanation of how I arrive to this world brief. In fact, I'll do mine in two sentences that all weebs would understand.

Isekai'd.

There, got it? You do? Good, because I lied about the first one. I died from a mortar strike….no wait, I actually survived the mortar strike, I just have half my body blown away and bleed to death. Or did I die from the shock? Hmm, I can't quite recall. So in short, I'm just another casualty in war as they would say, World War 3 to be more specific.

Truth be told, I find that it's a bit of an overkill that they would use mortars against me. I mean, a greasily death is to be expected when one is fighting on the front line; doubly so when one is put on a suicide squad, but unleashing an entire barrage of mortars just so they could kill me? I'm flattered.

Anyways, when I opened my eyes again I found myself in this world and had been living in it for 14 years. Apparently it's from an anime that I've watched many years ago called Dan...something something. Don't be surprise but over here, there's Gods and Goddesses living in this world with us mortals and a big a_s_s Dungeon that spawn monsters looking like they came from Satan's anus.

I must admit that the idea of having divine entities walking among us pitiful mortals is a concept that I have the most trouble wrapping my head around, mostly because I'm an atheist.

So, in order for me to accept that they exist, I merely think of them as overpowered people with bullshit abilities instead of omnipotent beings that could snap me out of existence with a flick of their fingers. Same thing, but different.

When one think of being Isekai'd into Dan-something-something, one would normally think that they're either:

A) Be the main protagonist and take Bell's place.

Or

B) Is an extra character that could join Hestia's Familia and go on adventures with the main cast.

Right? Totally a normal thing to assume, right?

Well you're wrong in both account. First off, Hestia hasn't even come down from Heaven to grace us unworthy mortals with her divine (Read: bouncy) presence yet and secondly, I'm in another Familiar, Miach's Familia.

An odd choice of Familia to pick you say? Well, not much I could do about that since I was a member of this Familia from the moment I was born. My parents were members of the Familia so being born in it, it automatically meant that I'm a member as well. I was raised and taken care off quite well so I don't have much to complain about it. It's a rather well off one too. Well, it was until tragedy struck us a few months ago, causing me to lose my parents and leaving my Familia in a large debt.

Almost everyone left the Familia soon after, leaving only me and my little sister in all but blood as the only ones who had decided to stayed behind the sinking ship that is the Miach Familia. We both have our reasons for doing so, mine is out of gratitude for Miach for taking care of me and my parents back when they were still alive. It's also because that guy is just too nice for his own good and kept giving things away for free.

Afterwards, the shop that we own stopped getting much business now due to losing most of our stock because of the debt and is unable to meet our customers wants, causing them to go elsewhere to get what they want instead. Right now we have no way of replenishing the high quality stuff to attract our old customers back and we're barely holding on.

I quickly realized that we needed another source of income. Dungeon diving is easily the most profitable thing to do in the city of Orario so it's only natural that I chose to become an Adventurer. There was some opposition from my God of course, as he wanted me to stay home where it's safe but I ignore his protests and went anyway. I know that we desperately needed money and this is the only way I can help. I'm shit at potion brewing despite being in a Familia that focuses on that so what else can I do but put this body through hard labor.

And there you go, the entire reason of why I'm risking my life dungeon diving in the first place. I assure you that it has nothing to do with my childish d_e_s_i_r_e to fight against monsters, honest.

…..

…

Okay fine, I lied. I wanna fight against monsters as well; there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, what hot-blooded teenage boy wouldn't? I blame anime for filling my head with fantasies of that.

At any rate, the exposition is done and I'm feeling rested. Time to get back to work.

-0-

Orario- The Guild

-0-

”Here you go, a total of 3500 Valis.” I heard the Guild Employee said in a professional tone and watch as the coins get dropped onto the tray. I pick them up one by one while counting them mentally to ensure that not a single Valis is missing. It's a lot less than what I normally earned on a daily basis since I decided to leave early but it's not as less as it would've been if it weren't for the monster drops that I got lucky with. Thank you RNGesus, I'll be sure to sacrifice goats for you in the future. No wait, that's the method for thanking Lootcifer. Anyway, I'll most likely still meet my weekly quota so I don't have to worry about not earning a lot today.

Satisfied that I'm in no way being cheated, I place them inside my pouch of holding hanging on my waist next to my tool pouch. It's just a normal pouch but I like to call it that because why not?

”The distrustful eyes that you have when you counted your coins really hurts me my friend. You know I'd never cheat you of your money.” The guild member said to me in mock hurt, obviously more laid back now that our transaction is done.

”Yeah well, math was never your strong point so it's better to be safe than sorry.”

”Hey! I'll have you know that my math absolutely superb thank you very much. Anyway, congratulations on surviving another day Cain-kun. For a kid your age, you sure are doing quite well on your own. Reaching the 4th floor only after a few months of your Adventurer career with no help and prior training to give you a boost, not bad, not bad at all.”

You know what I find weird about Orario? It's that despite being a hot spot for western deities, everyone here is using Japanese honorifics. The rest of the world is the same as well. It's like the eastern deities infected everyone in the world with Japanese culture and everyone just accepted it as the norm. But then again, it may have to do with the fact that the Light Novel was written by a Japanese.

”Thank you. If anyone asks about the secret to my success, please tell them that my stubbornness in regards to not dying is what got me so far. Oh, that and also my d_e_s_i_r_e to not die a v_i_r_g_i_n.” I deadpanned.

”Ah yes, the power of wanting to get laid is the best drive any men could have to see them through tough situations.” He nodded sagely. ”Oh right, I know that you're a busy guy and all but you should go see your advisor first before you leave. She's still quite new to all this and seeing her first charge return safe and sound would do her a great service. Poor girl needs more confidence in her decisions; she was fretting all day, worrying that something might go wrong after authorizing your new floor.”

I mull over his words and started rubbing my chin in thought, wondering whether I should go reassure my advisor that I'm still alive and well or be a d_i_c_k and go back home.

”Oh, I know that look Cain-kun. You're thinking of being an asshole again aren't you?”

”What? I would never.” I defended myself while trying to sound as offended as possible, causing the Guild member to snort before giving me a pointed look.

I rolled my eyes and dropped the act. Hmm, now that I think about it, I do need to preview the map of the new floor and properly memorize it as well as acquiring more data regarding the monsters on the floor lower than that just in case they decided to climb up. Huh, looks like I'll be visiting my advisor after all. ”Alright fine, I'll go talk to her. She's right to worry though, something bad almost did happen to me today.” I replied as I turn around to leave.

”Huh? Hey wait. You can't just leave after saying something like that! Cain-kun!? Tell me what happened buddy!” I pause in my steps and turn my head around to look at him over my shoulder. Then I offered him the best shit eating grin I can manage before leaving, knowing full well that he's going to be absolutely brimming with curiosity and will have no way to know about what almost happened to me unless someone tells him.

He's just too curious for his own good and wants to know every little thing that happens. Can't blame him though, working at the exchange area is usually a bore unless someone brings in something rare to exchange. I think I'll just let him stew on it for a day before telling him, I'm not that evil after all.

”Damn youuuuuuuu Caiiiinnnn! I know you're doing this on purpose!” I ignore his voice and kept on walking to where the receptionists are.

-0-

As I got close to where the reception area is, I saw the familiar figure of my advisor. There she stood, with her short pink hair and eyes, looking rather bored and lost in her own world. It's still quite early so most of the Adventurers are still in the Dungeon. They mostly only come in during the mornings and evenings so it wouldn't be weird that for the receptionists have to a lot of free time during the time in between.

The girl is quite young as an advisor, somehow managing to get a job at the Guild at a tender age of 14 along with her friend. From what I have gathered, they joined the guild right after freshly graduating from school and is good enough to impress them that they hire the two on the spot.

Right now she's wearing the standard Guild uniform that consist of a set of black vest and pants with a white collared long sleeve shirt underneath, a gray bow tie and black shoes. Because of her age and height, she looked like a child trying on her parent's business suit in my eyes. Absolutely adorable.

Oh, it looks like she finally noticed me. We made eye contact and the bored expression on her face was instantly replaced with a large smile filled with relief. After that, she quickly move to straighten herself and force her expression to look natural, which she is failing at because her lips keep twitching upward.

What's this? She's totally trying to act professional isn't she? Normally, she'd be waving her arms like a madwoman the moment she saw me. Wonder what's changed? Maybe I should investigate a bit and find out?

With that in mind, I started looking at everything else but her and started my approach, noticing the slightly confused look on her face in my peripheral vision. I kept on walking towards her while pretending to sight see. Just when I was about to a few meters away from her desk, I did an immediate 90 degree turn to my right and walk towards the receptionist beside her.

”Hey there Eina-chan.” I greeted the bespectacled female Half-Elf that was seated next to my advisor with a grin instead of greeting my advisor herself. Mostly because I know it'll make her mad.

Said person quickly look up from the paperwork that she was working on and a pair of emerald colored eyes met mine as she brush aside her long, brown hair behind her ear. As a Half-Elf, Eina shares a similar physical trait that her full blooded counterpart all have: long, pointy ears.

”Oh! Good afternoon Cain-san. You're back early today, it's only a bit after midday.” Eina greeted me back with a small smile of her own.

”Yeah, some stuff happened and I decided to come back early.”

”I see. While I do appreciate that you're spending your time to talk with me, shouldn't you be talking with Misha-san instead? You know, your actual advisor?” She said, shifting her eyes to the side and I followed suit.

We saw that Misha is currently looking at us while pouting hard with slightly red cheeks and both her fists were shaking in front of her c_h_e_s_t in indignation.

I quickly turn my attention back to the Half-Elf. ”You're right, maybe I should….” I said while nodding before I lean in a bit closer and started whispering. ”Or, we could just pretend to do small talk and laugh just to see how long she can last before she barge into our conversation?” I suggested with a wagging eyebrow, knowing full well that Eina enjoys teasing her friend as much as I do because she was being teased all the time by Misha back when they're in school.

”You, Cain-san, are a very cruel man.” She replied with a disapproving frown on her face. ”You shouldn't tease your Advisor so much, it's unbecoming of you to do so.”

We simply stared at each other after that. She held her reproachful look for a few seconds before she let out a snort and started giggling and I join in with a small chuckle of my own.

”Stop ignoring me already!” Came Misha's displeased cry for attention and we both turn to face her with large smiles on our faces. The pinked haired girl looked like she wanted to pound her tiny fists at me as she glared cutely at me like an offended kitten. Like I've said, absolutely adorable.

”Sorry, I couldn't help it. You just look too cute when you're mad.” I told her and it seem to only get her even madder because her face is becoming even redder now. Eina just giggled at her friend's expression, causing Misha to shot her a look of betrayal.

”So Misha-chan, any reason why you're trying to act all professional for? Last I've checked, you both are still in training so being a bit lax should be fine right? Speaking of which, I don't see your supervisor anywhere. Isn't he suppose to look out for you both while you man the counter?” I said as I look around the area for any sign of their supervisor.

”Rehmer-san needed to step out for a bit to deal with a particularly tricky Adventurer so it's just us for now until he gets back.” Misha informed me and I nodded. Yeah, troublesome Adventurers does appear from time to time. It'd be bad news for rookies like these two if they had to deal with them.

”What about your behavior from earlier then?” I asked the pink haired girl.

”Huh? What do you mean?”

”I mean why you weren't waving like a madwoman when you saw me earlier like you use to.”

”Wha- I most certainly do not wave like a madwoman when I see you.” Came Misha's panicked reply along with a bit of pink appearing on her face from what I presume to be embarrassment.

I merely offered her smug smile that told her that she wasn't fooling anyone. ”So, I'm guessing that you got told by your superior about needing to be professional at all times or something?” I asked, changing the topic to something else.

Misha's shoulder went slump and she let out a sigh. ”Yeah, something like that. Our superior noticed how Eina and I were chatting away like we were at a cafe or something and gave us a stern talking to. Mr. Rehmer can be really strict when he wants to be. I've been trying my best to act all serious all day today but it's just so hard.” Misha said as she let out a pitiful w_h_i_n_e.

”It's your fault if I recall. We wouldn't have been caught if you weren't so loud.” Eina chipped in.

”Hey! You were the one that made me laugh in the first place.” Misha shot back as she pointed an accusing finger towards the Half-Elf.

”Here's a suggestion: maybe just be yourself? I don't see anything wrong with the way you are; so as long as you aren't that loud when your superior is nearby, you should be fine.” I said, interrupting the two.

”No way, I am a member of the Guild so it's my job to be professional.”

”Uh huh. You, being professional? I'd imagine we'd have more luck getting the sky to rain gold.” I teased.

”I totally can do it! Just watch me!” Misha fumed, looking rather offended by my lack of faith in her ability.

”Sure, sure, Miss professional. Whatever you say.” I told her with both my hands raised in a placating manner. ”Oh, and before we all get sidetracked even further, I actually have another reason for coming over other than showing you two that I'm still alive and teasing Misha.”

”Really?” Misha asked with an eyebrow quirked in obvious interest. ”What is it then?”

”I'll need to see the map of the 4th floor, as well as the bestiary that the Guild has.”

”But didn't you examine the map just this morning? And what do you even need the bestiary for? Don't you always keep a notebook with you that has everything about the monsters you would encounter noted down already?” Misha tilted her head to the side cutesily with a confused look on her face.

”Yes, but back then I was too excited at the prospect of going to a new floor to properly memorize it and I need the bestiary so I can update my notes to include monsters from the floor below just in case.” I explain my reasoning for needing the two items.

Misha gained a look of understanding and nodded. ”Okay, sure. Let's go to the private room so you can look them over without bothering others.”

Eina's eyes suddenly gained a mischievous glint. ”Oh my, inviting a boy to a room so you could be alone together already? You sure do work fast Misha.”

Misha's face turned bright red. ”That is not what I'm doing and you know it!” She growled at the Half-Elf, causing her to chuckle. ”I'll get back at you for this Eina! When you become interested in a man one day, know that I will be there to tease you relentlessly about it! Mark my words!” Misha all but shouted out as she stomp away, looking peeved.

”Did you really have to do that? Now she's going to be glaring at me the entire time.” I said to Eina in exasperation.

”I'll leave you two to it then.” Eina giggled and I rolled my eyes before following Misha.

-0-

I let out a happy sigh as I lay sideways on one of the couch present in every private room that the guild has. I could feel my body sinking deeply into the soft cotton seat and the stress that I have in me slowly melts away into blissful oblivion.

When one spends an entire day fighting for his life, he would no doubt build up stress within his body from being constantly alert and wary of any attack that might come his way. I find that letting it build up too much without a way to release it is generally a bad thing for the body so any chance I got to de-stress is one that I would take gladly as I am a very busy guy.

”I'm totally going to marry this couch in the future.” I murmured as I feel myself being lulled into slumber.

”Didn't you say you wanted to marry your kitchen in the future?” I heard Misha said, accompanied by the sound of something being place down on the table placed in front of the couches. The setting was arranged in a way so that both sides would be facing each other with a table in the middle.

”Hmmm, you're right. Maybe I'll just marry them both. I don't think I can live without one or the other.” I said lazily and I could practically feel Misha rolling her eyes at me.

”I'm sure you'll manage somehow. Anyway, here's what you asked for.” She told me and I reluctantly pull my lazy a_s_s up from the comfortable couch so I could sit properly. On the table I spot a large sheet of paper all rolled up as well as a very thick book.

I took out my notebook and place it on the table. Then I spread open the paper, revealing the layout for the 4th floor of the dungeon and opened the book to the page about monsters in the 5th. I started scanning through them both, jotting down what I find interesting or important. That's right, I can multitask, be in awe at my ability to do two things at once.

”Do you need me to bring you some refreshments while you work?” Misha offered as I was starting to get to work.

”Yes please!” I immediately replied, feeling grateful that Misha is such a considerate girl.

”Tea as always?”

”Always.” I nodded seriously. ”Thanks Misha-san, you're the best.” I told her with a smile.

Misha gave me a smile of her own and went out to get my drink. I turn my attention back to the information before me and started soaking them in, my hand jotting down important notes that will no doubt aid me in the future.

-0-

Orario- North West Street

-0-

After spending 2 hours painstakingly burning the image of the 4th floor into my brain and jotting down important details about War Shadows and Frog Shooters into my notebook, I bid the girls goodbye after returning the items to Misha and left the guild.

I was on my way back home while busily sorting through the information in my mind when I noticed something happening in front of me.

There was a crowd of people there. They were gathered on the street and forming a circle for some reason. From how rowdy they sounded, it seems like something interesting is going on.

Needless to say, I got curious myself and went to join the crowd to see what's up.

Using my secret skill that I gained many years ago from surviving hordes of impatient and angry women during markets sales, I easily weave through the crowd and arrive at the front with ease. Truly, it's the most essential skill to have if I ever decided to become a househusband like I had originally intended before shit happened.

In the middle of the crowd encirclement I saw a pair of young Amazoness duking it out with some guys. It couldn't even be called a fight as the girls were easily trouncing the dudes. Seeing them demolish the guys with such ease, I'm guessing that they're either level 1s with extremely high stats or level 2s.

As Amazons, they have their signature tanned skin and they both have black hair and brown eyes. They looked about the same age from what I can tell. 11 or 12 years old maybe? One may think that it's out of the ordinary for kids to reach this level of strength but I'd like to beg the differ. I mean, I know a kid that managed to reach level 2 just within a year of joining a Familia. Man, kids these days are scary.

An important thing to note is that the Amazon with longer hair has a slightly more developed body while the one with short hair is still like a child's.

Who are they? I thought to myself as they seem familiar to me somehow. My foreknowledge of this world is spotty and unreliable at best so I don't really know if they would play an important role in the future. You can't blame me for not knowing, I can't even remember what I ate last night and it's been years since I last saw anything related to Dan-something-something.

While I was busy thinking, the girls seem to have enough with playing around and ended the fight without me realizing. The guys were on the ground looking battered but very much alive. They looked fine aside from having their ego bruised and would probably be all healed after a good nights rest.

”Well then, is there anyone else who wants to give us a shot? Remember, we'll only join your Familia if you manage to beat us.” The Amazon with long hair spoke out confidently, like she knew that there's no one here that could beat them. The other one was looking around while whistling with her hands hooked behind her head.

A few moments pass by with murmurs going through the crowd and no one stood up to answer the girls' challenge. Seeing that there isn't anyone stepping up, the girl spoke again. ”Since no one here is going to face us, I guess we'll go look elsewhere. We'll be going around searching for people who could actually give us a challenge so if you feel like manning up and face us, feel free to come find us.”

With her piece said, the crowd started to disperse while I stayed on my spot, still digging through the archive in my head that I named 'Approximate Knowledge of Many Things'.

So lost in thought as I was, I didn't notice the people were leaving nor did I notice that the Amazoness were heading my way. Apparently, I was unknowingly staring at them in my distracted state and because of that, the girl with long hair seem to take it as a challenge or something.

”What are staring at so intensely there for bud? You want to have a go as well?” She asked with a grin, obviously ready for more fighting.

Her words jerked me back to reality and I paled slightly at the prospect of fighting either of them. ”Nope. No thanks. I'm still tired and sore from fighting in the Dungeon earlier today and I'm not so stupid as to fight against someone who looked like they could snap me in half. Besides, I'm just a level 1, the best I could do is bleed aggressively on you and hope that you'll be annoyed with the mess I left.” Left unsaid was the fact that they're both shorter than me so I'd most likely have my fragile ego destroyed as well.

”That's not right. You're a man aren't you? You should have more confidence in yourself.” The Amazon with short hair told me while eyeing me with a look of disappointment.

”Oh, I'm plenty confident. Confident that I'll lose that is.” I told her with a smirk while frantically thinking of a way to change the subject that doesn't involve me being buried five feet underground via Amazon suplex. ”If I may ask, you two are looking for a Familia to join right?” I questioned, thinking back to what I've heard the girl with long hair said earlier.

”Yep/ Yes.” The two replied in sync as they nodded.

”Then why are you two using such a roundabout way to find one? Can't you just join the one you find suits you?”

The one with long hair rolled her eyes. ”It's because we don't want to join just any Familia, we want to join one that earned our respect.” She told me as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. Well sorry lady, it's not like I can read minds. ”It'd be great if they are interesting and fun as well but we'll take what we can get so long as they prove themselves worthy.” I resist rolling my eyes at the cliché reason that they have because I don't want to get hurt for being rude. Amazons and their battle boners.

I let out a thoughtful hum as an idea started to form in my mind, a very interesting idea. ”Weeeeell,” I drawled. ”If you're looking for a strong and interesting Familia, you can always try Loki's Familia.” I suggested while keeping a smirk from appearing from my face. ”They're currently the top 2 ranking Familia in Orario and frequently go on expeditions into the Dungeon.”

”Really?” The one with long hair asked, a bit of interest leaking into her voice.

”Yep. From what I've seen and heard about them, they are the most interesting bunch you'll ever find in this place and is always looking for new challenges to overcome. Loki-sama seem to accept everyone who comes her way so it's a pretty big and diverse group that you'll be joining. Lots of interesting people there, not to mention strong ones too. Their captain and vice-caption are both level 5s and they have a handful of level 3s in their midst.” I informed them, hoping that they would give Loki's Familia a shot. It's definitely not because they're absolutely guarantee to lose against them and I want to see them knock around a bit. Nope, no siree.

Anyway, that place would be good for them if an exciting life is what they're looking for. Loki may have a reputation of being a perverted old man but she actually cares for her children and is actually one of the few deities that I don't dislike, unlike many of the other deities that I know of who treats people as tools or toys.

Deities. They never change.

I could tell them about Freya's Familia instead as they're ranked 1st in Orario but I don't really like the Goddess there despite having never seen her before. Not sure why but something about her Familia just rubs me the wrong way.

The girl with long hair nodded with a thoughtful expression on her face. ”Alright, it does sound interesting. If they're as you say then I suppose we'll go see them for ourselves. Mind directing us to where they are?”