Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 21
--+--
Chapter 21: Rivira Town
--+--
“The skin and muscle really are much tougher than an average monster’s.”
Hoshimi Miyabi slid Tailless back into its sheath. Behind her lay the corpses of more than a dozen dead Minotaurs.
The worry still hadn’t faded from Raul’s face, but inside, he was screaming at himself. ‘What were you even worried about? This is the absolute monster who cut down Goliath at Level 1. What’re a few Minotaurs supposed to do?’
“Um... ahem. Let’s keep going. Once you reach the middle floors, the Dungeon gets a lot wider. There are more dead ends, and there are also more vertical shafts. You can jump down those shafts and skip straight to the floors below. If you’re aiming for speed, it’s much faster than taking the normal route.”
As he explained, Raul led Miyabi to one of those shafts and asked if she wanted to try it.
“No. We’ll take the normal route. I tried a shaft two days ago.”
Alise had already told Miyabi about the vertical shafts the last time she’d gone looking for Ais.
“Oh...” Raul had thought they might get to Rivira a little faster and rest there for a while. So much for that.
“Miss Hoshimi Miyabi... why do you insist on taking the proper route?” Raul asked, walking beside her.
With Miyabi’s strength, the upper middle floors wouldn’t raise her Status much. For someone at her level, the floors below the eighteenth were the right place.
The route from the fifteenth to the eighteenth floor was simple too. Find a shaft and jump down. There wasn’t much point in taking the official route.
“No matter where you are, remembering the route is important.”
Raul had the feeling there was a story hidden behind those words, but he didn’t feel right asking. So he just did his job and guided her honestly.
Most of the monsters along the way were dealt with by Miyabi. Raul wanted to help, but he never got a chance to make a move.
In the end, he could only turn into a merciless magic stone collection machine, digging stones out of monster corpses one after another.
Before long, they arrived at the deepest floor Miyabi had reached so far: the seventeenth.
The floor boss had been cut down by Miyabi not long ago and was still in the process of reviving, so the whole seventeenth floor felt open, empty, and strange.
“My gods, what kind of move did you use? It’s been two days, and the Dungeon still hasn’t repaired itself?”
Miyabi’s “masterpiece” left Raul stunned. He even slipped into formal speech without noticing.
Huge cracks had been carved into both the ceiling and the ground. Along the edges of those “wounds,” blue ice crystals covered everything.
Raul walked up to one of the cracks and reached out to touch it, only to pull his hand back at once from the biting cold.
The Dungeon had strong self-repairing power. When adventurers damaged it during battle, it usually fixed itself in a very short time.
Yet two days had passed since Miyabi caused this damage, and the Dungeon still showed no sign of repairing it. This was far beyond anything Raul knew about the Dungeon.
Miyabi walked over to Raul, crouched down, and gently brushed her fingers over her own “masterpiece.”
“Ether energy... there’s less of it now...”
Miyabi could roughly sense that the ether energy around the cracks was thinner than before. That was normal. Outside a Hollow, ether energy would fade over time. But this time, the energy was fading far too slowly, almost as if someone were holding it in place on purpose.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Raul suddenly noticed that Miyabi’s expression had grown much more serious than before, and concern crept into his voice.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go. We’ll visit Rivira, then head back.”
“Oh, right. Rivira’s this way.”
--+--
Rivira Town was a small settlement built on the eighteenth floor, made up entirely of adventurers.
The eighteenth floor was a safe zone in the Dungeon. Monsters didn’t spawn there, and the crystals on the ceiling changed brightness with the passage of time, giving the floor something close to day and night.
Rivira wasn’t large, but it had everything adventurers needed. You could replenish supplies there, and if you were tired, you could stay at the town’s inn.
Of course, since the town was inside the Dungeon, and since it was the only town in the Dungeon, the prices were more than ten times higher than on the surface. Something that cost one hundred valis aboveground could cost one thousand valis or more in Rivira.
Raul was a very competent supporter. He explained everything in detail, giving Miyabi a clear picture of the town built inside the Dungeon.
He sold some monster materials to a merchant in town and got around thirty thousand valis for them.
Rivira Town’s prices were absurd, but the purchase price for monster materials was about the same as on the surface, sometimes even a little cheaper.
“It’s cheaper, yeah, but Rivira’s real advantage is convenience. They’ll buy almost any material here. On the surface, you’d have to run around to several Familias to sell this stuff, and the Guild’s purchase prices are pitiful. It’s not worth it.”
This was common knowledge to many upper-class adventurers, but for Miyabi, it was important information. She listened closely and sometimes asked sharp questions, which gave Raul a rare chance to enjoy acting like a senior.
That only made him more enthusiastic, and he even gave her a rundown of the floors below the eighteenth.
After they’d wandered through Rivira for about an hour, Miyabi checked the time in her head. It’d been almost seven or eight hours since she entered the Dungeon, so she brought up leaving.
Raul had no choice but to stop his explanation, still wanting to say more, and they began heading back to the surface.
This time, Raul didn’t guide Miyabi. He wanted to see how well she’d memorized the route.
To his surprise, Miyabi’s memory was excellent. From the eighteenth floor to the eleventh, she didn’t make a single wrong turn. Using that powerful memory of hers, she even optimized parts of the route and found paths Raul himself had forgotten.
“That’s amazing. It’s rare for a new adventurer to remember routes this clearly.”
Miyabi’s expression paused, and nostalgia crossed her face.
“Back in my hometown, the first thing you learned before taking on dangerous work was how to find your way.”
Even people who weren’t professional Hollow surveyors had to know how to find the right route inside a Hollow. After all, even a freshly updated Carrot couldn’t guarantee a route was right.
Compared to a place like a Hollow, where space itself was twisted, the Dungeon’s fixed routes were child’s play to Miyabi.
Raul didn’t understand what she meant, but he still felt like she was saying something impressive.
After they left the Dungeon, Raul brought Miyabi to Guild Headquarters and exchanged the magic stones they’d collected for valis. This trip’s magic stones came out to one hundred thousand valis in total.
Miyabi gave Raul fifty thousand, which made him overjoyed. He told her that if she had any more questions about the Dungeon, she could come ask him anytime.
--+--
After Miyabi returned to the Loki Familia and finished dinner, Loki, who hadn’t been seen all day, burst into Miyabi’s room like a storm.
“I heard you’re back from the Dungeon. Wanna update your Status? Though I’m guessing your numbers probably haven’t gone up much...”
To Miyabi, the Status on her back had always been more like a display tool that “automatically updated” her training results. Since Loki had come all the way here to update it, she had no reason to refuse.
So, under Loki’s excited gaze, Miyabi slipped off her outer clothes.
At first, Loki hadn’t expected Miyabi’s Status to grow at all. But when she activated the Falna on Miyabi’s back and saw the newest numbers, she completely lost her composure.
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 22
--+--
Chapter 22: Ability Scores Skyrocket
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi
Lv. 1
Strength: I 5 → I 87
Endurance: I 5 → H 106
Dexterity: I 20 → H 154
Agility: I 20 → H 113
Magic: I 0 → I 0
--+--
[Skill]
Isshin Dojo: Enters a state of deep meditation to train. The results of that training are reflected in her ability scores.
--+--
Her ability scores had risen by a total of 410 points. The size of that increase made Loki wonder for a moment whether her eyes were playing tricks on her.
She widened those usually narrow eyes of hers, her emerald-green pupils full of shock.
Loki refused to believe it and checked again. At last, she confirmed that this was Hoshimi Miyabi’s newest Status. Given Miyabi’s current strength, killing small fry on the upper or middle floors shouldn’t have earned her much in the way of ability growth.
Even for a fresh rookie, gaining this many points after only two trips into the Dungeon would’ve marked them as a genius.
Even Ais couldn’t have gained this many ability points on her first trip into the Dungeon.
“Miyabi, my girl, what did you do in the Dungeon?”
There was clear worry in Loki’s voice. She feared Miyabi might’ve run into some strange incident down there, and that was why her ability scores had risen so much. But then Loki felt she was overthinking it.
Could an abnormal incident on the middle floors near the upper floors really be worse than a floor boss?
Or had Miyabi hidden it from them, passed through the eighteenth floor, and gone down into the twenties? If that was true, Loki felt she’d need to give Miyabi a serious scolding.
“I went into the Dungeon with Raul, killed some monsters along the way, visited Rivira, then came back and killed some more monsters,” Hoshimi Miyabi said, pinching her chin as she summed up the trip.
“That’s it? Nothing strange happened? Like a sudden increase in monsters?”
“No. Everything was normal.”
Gods could tell whether a person was lying, and Loki knew every word Hoshimi Miyabi had spoken was true. In other words, Miyabi had taken Raul all the way to the eighteenth floor, and her ability scores had risen by more than 400 points. That was way too strange.
Loki copied Hoshimi Miyabi’s ability scores onto paper, then studied the numbers again and again. All at once, she noticed something she’d never bothered to give a real look before.
--+--
[Skill]
Isshin Dojo: Enters a state of deep meditation to train. The results of that training are reflected in her ability scores.
--+--
The results of that training are reflected in her ability scores...
That line caught Loki’s eye. She hadn’t paid much attention to Miyabi’s skill before, since ability scores were the result of training the body.
Only fighting monsters or going through harsh training could raise them. How much could meditation alone possibly add, even if the results were reflected in her ability scores?
Because of that, Loki had always thought it was a useless skill, so she hadn’t explained it to Miyabi in much detail. Now, though, it looked like that skill might’ve been a pearl buried in dust.
“Miyabi, my girl, your ability scores rose by a lot. A whole lot. Given that monsters on the upper and middle floors can barely raise your ability scores at all now, I think that skill of yours played a big part. Did you do any meditation training today?”
“Yes. This morning, I did ‘training to defeat an enhanced Goliath.’” Hoshimi Miyabi took the paper with her ability scores from Loki’s hand. Once she saw how much they’d risen, even she looked surprised.
She’d already heard from Riveria how hard it was to raise ability scores. Four hundred and ten points was an amount even some geniuses might need several weeks of Dungeon trips to gain.
“Defeat an enhanced Goliath? Can you explain that in detail?”
“I imagined an enhanced Goliath in my mind, then fought it. I made Goliath black, doubled its size, raised its strength fivefold, and gave it fast regeneration, as well as several powerful moves. Its overall strength was higher than mine.”
Loki understood. Hoshimi Miyabi had imagined a Goliath stronger than herself, then fought it inside her mind.
In other words, Miyabi had been “fighting” an enemy stronger than herself, and that was why her ability scores had shot up so fast.
“The unknowns of the Lower World, huh? This’s just too interesting.” Loki’s mouth curved up without her noticing.
Now she’d really found herself a treasure.
“I get it now, Miyabi. I was worried about how long it’d take you to level up, but with your [Isshin Dojo] skill, your ability growth shouldn’t be any slower than a normal Lv. 1 rookie’s. Congratulations. You won’t have to stay at Lv. 1 for too long.”
Hoshimi Miyabi looked at the paper, and a faint smile, almost too small to notice, appeared on her face. For her, being able to grow stronger was enough. As for leveling up, she didn’t care much either way.
As long as she could grow stronger, she could cut down more “evil” and protect more people.
“Is there anything else?”
“Oh, right. One more thing...”
Loki sat up at once, and the teasing grin left her face.
“I’ve already written to an old friend who’s wandering outside and told him about your situation. He agreed to help ask around for a way to cross into other worlds. He should be back in Orario in about a month. When the time comes, I’ll take you to meet him.”
--+--
Loki left Hoshimi Miyabi’s room in high spirits, eager to share the news with the three leaders.
When they heard that Hoshimi Miyabi had raised her ability scores by 410 points through meditation alone, all three of them felt as though the world had gone mad.
They’d all started at Lv. 1, so of course they knew how hard it was to raise ability scores.
“Rather than calling it Miyabi’s talent, I’d rather believe it’s compensation for her,” Finn said with a wry smile, his voice full of envy.
“Finn, you’re making it sound like Miyabi can only raise her ability scores because of her skill,” Gareth said. “Even meditation training isn’t something anyone can just do. This’s Hoshimi Miyabi’s talent.”
Anyone could imagine fighting a powerful enemy in their head. But very few people could make that imagined fight no different from a real battle. Gareth, at least, knew he couldn’t.
In his own imagination, he could even beat the Black Dragon, but he couldn’t picture himself fighting an enemy as if it were a true battle. That was why Gareth believed it was Hoshimi Miyabi’s talent more than anything else.
“Haha, fair enough. I was just making excuses for my poor little pride,” Finn said. “Think about it, Gareth. Let’s say Hoshimi Miyabi’s current strength is Lv. 6. If she levels up once, then her strength would be...”
“Lv. 7!” Loki and Gareth said at the same time.
The two of them looked at each other in excitement and were just about to speak when they heard a sharp slap.
They turned and saw Riveria, who’d barely said a word until now, slapping her own thigh. Then she said something that left everyone else baffled.
“Gods, I’m an idiot!”
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 23
--+--
Chapter 23: Sparring with Ais
--+--
Riveria felt guilty about interrupting Hoshimi Miyabi's training. If she'd gone to find Miyabi a little later, Miyabi might've “finished her training” and gained even higher stats. She might've even earned a great feat.
Riveria told them about it with guilt weighing on her voice. Finn and Gareth both drew in sharp breaths. So that training hadn't even been over. If Miyabi had been allowed to finish the fight, win or lose, her growth would've been far beyond a mere four hundred points in ability values.
“No one knows about this, Riveria, so you don't need to blame yourself. What we need to discuss next is the expedition.”
The moment Finn brought up the expedition, everyone, Loki included, sat up straight.
For an exploration-focused Familia like theirs, an expedition wasn't just a mandatory task from the Guild. It also decided the Familia's future income.
Whether they ate meat or went hungry in the second half of the year would depend on this expedition.
“The expedition will take place two months from now. Since we've gained another First Class Adventurer, we'll need to adjust our strategy and goal. This time, I plan to push our Dungeon exploration all the way to the 53rd Floor in one go.”
“The 53rd Floor?” Gareth and Riveria both looked at Finn in surprise.
Their current Dungeon record was the 47th Floor. Advancing eight floors at once felt too eager, even with Hoshimi Miyabi in the party.
Once they reached the Deep Floors, they wouldn't just have powerful monsters to deal with. They'd also have supplies to worry about, and the safe points down there didn't have towns like Rivira where they could restock.
Once supplies failed, even a Level 6 powerhouse could slip up.
“Don't worry. This is a decision I made after careful thought.”
As Finn spoke, he raised his thumb, telling the others he'd already confirmed it. Riveria and Gareth knew what his thumb could do, so neither of them objected.
--+--
Early the next morning, Hoshimi Miyabi finished her training and planned to take a walk outside Orario for the day. But when she changed clothes and opened her door, she found a blond little girl waiting outside.
“Miyabi, will you train with me today?”
Ais blinked up at Hoshimi Miyabi, hope written all over her face. She held a new rapier in her hand.
It wasn't the weapon Riveria had asked God Goibniu to custom-make for her, but Ais's own backup weapon.
“Combat training? Sure. But your...” Hoshimi Miyabi's gaze drifted down to Ais's backside.
“It's fine. My body's in good shape.”
“In that case, let's go.”
“Great!” Ais smiled, and that doll-like face of hers gained a hint of life.
The two of them arrived at the training area together. Hoshimi Miyabi gripped Tailless by its sheath and asked Ais across from her, “What kind of training do you want?”
“Combat. I want to fight. A clashing, ringing kind of fight.”
“All right. Then let's begin.”
The moment her voice fell, Hoshimi Miyabi tightened her grip on the hilt and flashed right in front of Ais. She drew Tailless and swung for Ais's head.
Since she knew how strong Ais was, Hoshimi Miyabi didn't put her full strength into the strike.
Sure enough, Ais blocked with her rapier and pulled back at once.
“Awaken.”
A green breeze wrapped around Ais's body. It served as both a barrier and a boost to all of her abilities. Hoshimi Miyabi, meanwhile, didn't use her Frost powers. She only kept attacking Ais from every angle.
Left, right, above, below. The endless chain of slashes left Ais struggling to keep up. Her speed was crushed under Hoshimi Miyabi's, and she couldn't even counterattack.
“So strong... Miyabi... you're so strong.” Faced with Hoshimi Miyabi's seemingly endless pressure, Ais didn't feel any fear. Her pale cheeks even flushed red from excitement.
Not even Finn or Gareth had ever suppressed her from every direction like this.
'Only this... can make me stronger.'
Ais kept defending with wind and sword while searching for a flaw in Hoshimi Miyabi's swordsmanship. But Hoshimi Miyabi's technique was too perfect. It was so perfect that Ais couldn't find any opening at all.
Or rather, with Ais's current strength, she couldn't find a flaw in Hoshimi Miyabi.
While Ais was still struggling to defend, Hoshimi Miyabi slashed a few more times, then pulled back and opened up some distance.
'Her strength suddenly dropped?'
Hoshimi Miyabi had been holding herself back based on the Ais she'd seen fighting Goliath. But after they actually crossed blades, she found that the current Ais was far weaker than the Ais who'd fought Goliath.
In terms of numbers, the current Ais was at least thirty percent weaker than she'd been back then.
“And... I've gotten stronger too.”
Hoshimi Miyabi clenched her fist. She thought back to how she'd gone to Loki yesterday to update her ability values. It'd also been her first time feeling the thrill that came with a huge jump in stats.
“Again... again...” Ais kept panting. In just a few short minutes, sweat had plastered her hair and forehead down, and the hand gripping her sword wouldn't stop trembling. But her eyes were shining brighter and brighter, and her fighting spirit only grew stronger.
Hoshimi Miyabi didn't speak. She simply attacked again. This time, though, she held back even more power on purpose, making sure her strength matched Ais's.
Ais naturally noticed that Hoshimi Miyabi had suppressed her strength. The attacks were still fierce, but now Ais's eyes could follow Hoshimi Miyabi's speed.
Even so, the situation still didn't look good for Ais. Hoshimi Miyabi's attacks came like waves, one after another, without the slightest gap.
If Ais wanted to break through, she had to use the clumsy method: let her body memorize Hoshimi Miyabi's movements and habits, then seize the right chance to land a killing blow.
Ais's method was clumsy, but it worked. For Hoshimi Miyabi, this was teaching as much as training.
So she didn't use her Foxfire, and she ran through the Hoshimi family's swordsmanship in the same pattern from start to finish without changing a single move.
That was why, when Hoshimi Miyabi used the Hoshimi family's swordsmanship for the fourth time, Ais finally found the one opening Hoshimi Miyabi had left for her.
“There! Tempest!”
The wind turned into a wild current and rushed toward Hoshimi Miyabi. The sudden gale broke Hoshimi Miyabi's attack and sent her flying backward against her will.
“I did it...” Ais shouted in excitement, raising her sword to press the advantage. But she'd only taken one step when her legs suddenly gave out, and she collapsed flat on the ground.
Hoshimi Miyabi steadied herself. Aside from her clothes and hair being blown into a mess, her body hadn't taken any damage.
She walked over to Ais and said in a calm voice, “You found the opening, but it took too long. My attacks didn't hurt you, but every time you blocked one, it drained a lot of your stamina.”
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 24
--+--
Chapter 24: Training by Staying Out of the Dungeon for a Week
--+--
Ais collapsed because Hoshimi Miyabi had run her ragged.
Their fight lasted less than fifteen minutes, but in that short span, Miyabi swung at Ais hundreds of times, and every slash carried almost the same force.
Ais blocked hundreds of blows, and each one drained her strength. At first, she stayed tense and wary, with all her focus locked on how to break through Miyabi's attacks, so her body felt like it had power to spare.
But once she finally cracked Miyabi's pattern, that tight focus snapped loose, and the fatigue spread through her before she could even move. She dropped to the ground, worn out.
Miyabi looked around until she found a huge tree she didn't recognize. She picked up the exhausted Ais and set her against the trunk, letting her rest in the shade.
After recovering a little, Ais lifted her head and looked at Miyabi, who'd leaned against the same tree, then scooted closer to her side.
"Miyabi, you're amazing..."
The girl's innocent words softened Miyabi's eyes. She reached out and stroked Ais's damp golden hair.
"You're amazing too."
"Then can we keep going later?" Ais wanted to fight Miyabi again once she'd rested. She believed that this time, she wouldn't collapse.
"No..." Miyabi's blunt refusal made Ais tilt her head in surprise.
"Why?"
"More combat training isn't always better. After each session, you need other kinds of training to support it. What you need right now is training where you review the fight and find your weak points."
"Weak points?" Ais didn't really understand. When she'd sparred with Riveria and Gareth before, they hadn't said anything like that.
"That's right. What didn't you do well enough? Could you have done it better? How should you strengthen the parts you're lacking? That's what you need to work on. As for combat, we'll only do it once a week."
"Oh..." Ais agreed in a dull voice. She didn't understand why Miyabi wouldn't let her fight. In her mind, strength, weak points, and everything else could all be improved through battle.
Wasn't a weak point something you fixed by getting hit there enough times?
Miyabi could tell Ais wasn't happy about only getting one combat session a week. She could also tell that this girl, who looked as delicate as a porcelain doll, was a battle maniac.
"Can you tell me why you want to get stronger?"
A breeze passed through, stirring Miyabi's fox ears and blowing the girl's thoughts back into memory.
"I have... a monster I've always wanted to defeat. But right now... I'm too weak."
Ais didn't say much, but Miyabi smelled something familiar in those words. Maybe the girl had something similar inside her. Maybe that's why Ais had brought her out of the Dungeon back then.
"You're doing this for revenge?"
"Yes..."
Miyabi understood. She'd seen far too many people grow stronger for the sake of revenge.
"All right. Do you want to keep doing combat training with me?"
Ais's eyes lit up at once. She nodded over and over, making eager little mm-hm noises the whole time.
"Then you'll complete every training exercise I assign you. For every three you finish, I'll add one extra combat session."
"Okay. Let's... pinky promise."
The innocent Ais smiled and held out her little finger. Miyabi smiled too and raised her hand.
"It's settled, then. No matter what trouble you run into, you won't give up."
"I won't give up. I'll finish Miyabi's training and get stronger."
Their little fingers hooked together, and the fox and the blond girl made their first promise.
"Good. Next, I'll give you your first training exercise."
"I... can do anything," Ais said, full of confidence. As long as it meant more combat training, she could handle any exercise.
"The first exercise is called 'training where you don't go into the Dungeon for one week.'"
"Huh?"
The golden light in Ais's eyes went out the moment she heard what the exercise was. A gloomy pressure settled around her, while Miyabi, the culprit behind it all, gave a pleased smile.
--+--
After saying goodbye to Ais, whose face said her life had lost all hope, Miyabi took a quick shower, changed into fresh clothes, picked up Tailless, and headed out onto Orario's streets.
She'd been in Orario for four days now, but she'd either gone into the Dungeon or followed Riveria around on errands. She hadn't truly walked through this city with its old-world style.
Miyabi stopped in front of a fruit stall, planning to buy a honeydew melon to take back.
"Hello. What would you like?"
"One honeydew, please."
The vendor picked one up with practiced hands, put it in a bag, and handed it to Miyabi.
"That'll be 130 valis."
After paying, Miyabi tucked the melon under her arm and headed toward an area she hadn't visited before. Orario was divided into eight districts like slices of a pie chart.
The Twilight Manor, home of the Loki Familia, stood in District Eight. It was one of the wealthy areas, filled with high-end homes and shops, and counted as one of Orario's busiest districts.
Neighboring District One was also prosperous, though it had more shops than homes. Miyabi thought of the hollow look on Ais's face earlier and decided to buy her a gift to cheer her up.
She'd often seen Yanagi soothe Soukaku with snacks, so she chose to copy that method. During a meal at the Familia cafeteria the other day, Miyabi had learned by chance that Ais loved Jagamarukun, and she soon had a plan.
But...
Miyabi looked at the people scattered through the street, and confusion, rare for her, appeared in her eyes.
Where did they sell Jagamarukun?
Just as Miyabi failed to lock onto a target, a flash of red entered her sight. She knew that shade of red. Not long ago, she'd gone into the Dungeon's deep floors with its owner.
It was the captain of the Astraea Familia, [Scarlet Harnel] Alise Lovell. She wandered down the street alone without any clear goal, her eyes flicking toward the crowd now and then, as if she were searching for something.
"Hello..."
Miyabi's sudden appearance delighted Alise.
"Hello... Miya. I didn't expect to run into you here."
Alise was warm. A bit too warm, even. She'd gone straight to a nickname. Even in the Loki Familia, only Ais called Hoshimi Miyabi simply "Miyabi."
Still, Miyabi didn't dislike people who acted familiar from the start.
"Are you... on patrol?"
"That's right. I'm conducting a patrol of justice through the streets. The Evilus remnants have started moving again lately, so we've had to increase patrols. Because of that, none of our members even have time to go into the Dungeon. What about you? Are you shopping?"
"I'm doing the training exercise called 'finding a stall that sells Jagamarukun within thirty minutes and buying a big bag of Jagamarukun.'"
"Huh?" Alise scratched her head and stared at Miyabi's serious face in confusion.
Did buying Jagamarukun count as training?
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 25
--+--
Chapter 25: The Dark Factions
--+--
“Boss, ten Jagamarukuns!”
Led along by that far too eager captain of justice, Hoshimi Miyabi made her way to the Jagamarukun stall.
The vendor told her the total came to three hundred valis, and after Miyabi paid, she thought, ‘Prices here don’t seem as high as they are in New Eridu.’
After all, three hundred dennies in New Eridu wouldn’t buy this much food.
Then again, New Eridu was the last major city left in the world, so of course prices there were steep. It was like that one residential district that claimed it’d never, ever suffer a Hollow disaster. One square meter there cost a hundred million dennies.
Miyabi picked up a Jagamarukun and held it beneath her nose. It was just plain fried potato, nothing special about it. Even though she’d never tried one before, she was sure it couldn’t beat melon.
“Thanks.”
After buying the Jagamarukun, Miyabi gave Alise a sincere word of thanks. Alise waved back with a smile and said, “No need. I just helped because I happened to see you. I’ve still got patrol to handle, so see you around.”
Miyabi watched the red figure grow smaller in the distance. She didn’t leave at once. Instead, her gaze shifted toward the busy crowd, and sure enough, the moment Alise left, a shady figure slipped after her.
From the moment they’d bought the Jagamarukun, Miyabi had sensed several gazes watching them from the dark.
At first, she’d thought it might be something like the “die-hard fans” she’d run into back in New Eridu. But judging by the man’s furtive movements, he was far more likely to be from an enemy faction.
‘There’s no killing intent. He’s only tailing her. Is he from a rival Familia?’
When Miyabi had gone to register at the Guild that day, Riveria had explained a few things about Familias on the way.
“Familias don’t all get along. Many of them are enemies. Take our Familia and the Freya Familia, for example. We clash often over one thing or another, so if you ever meet anyone from the Freya Familia, be careful. If they press you too far, you can hit back.”
Miyabi was more than familiar with factional strife. Hollow Special Operations Section 6 didn’t have a great relationship with Hollow Special Operations Section 5 either.
Any time Section 6 got harassed by the higher-ups, their first thought was whether Section 5 had set them up.
--+--
Miyabi followed the men in silence. The one tailing Alise was dressed like a merchant, with a round belly and fine clothes. He kept a safe distance the whole time, yet he never lost sight of her.
Their levels weren’t high. At most, they were Level 2. Still, their stealth skills were passable, since Alise, a Level 4, hadn’t noticed them.
He followed Alise for a while, unaware that Miyabi had been following him just as long. After about ten minutes, the man entered an empty alley. He didn’t do anything else. He simply leaned against the wall, as if waiting for someone.
Before long, three more people slipped into the alley. One was an adventurer in crude armor. Another was a lightly dressed Amazon. The last was a Cat Person with a vicious look on his face.
“Eugene, you got here fast,” the Cat Person said with a grin, clapping the merchant on the shoulder. The merchant shoved his arm away, annoyed.
“You adventurers actually dumped the job of watching Scarlet Harnel on me. Did any of you think about what’ll happen to your Familia’s resources if I’m found out?”
“Relax. As long as you don’t move too close or make trouble, Scarlet Harnel won’t think the one watching her is a merchant.”
“Enough. Let’s get to business.” The adventurer cut off their joking and took out a map of Orario.
“Everyone report in. Jura, you start.”
The Cat Person named Jura took out a piece of charcoal and drew a crooked line over District Four on the map. “This is the patrol route for Gale and Yamato Rindou. One goes north to south, and the other goes west to east. Their patrol area covers almost all of District Four, but their efficiency is terrible.”
“That pure little elf blushes like an apple just from seeing pedestrians and prostitutes on the street. She keeps her head down while she walks and doesn’t pay attention to her surroundings at all.”
After Jura finished, the lightly dressed Amazon took the charcoal and drew a route through District Two. “There aren’t many people in District Two. It’s mostly members of the Ganesha Familia, with help from the Astraea Familia’s Thrail.”
Next came the merchant named Eugene. “Scarlet Harnel is patrolling District One. While I was following her, I unexpectedly saw the Loki Familia’s rookie, Hoshimi Miyabi.”
“Hoshimi Miyabi?”
The adventurer snapped his head up and stared straight into Eugene’s eyes. “You mean the Hoshimi Miyabi who entered the seventeenth floor on her first trip into the Dungeon and defeated Goliath with the Sword Princess?”
“Y-yes. A Renard with a sword. With a look like that, she’d be hard to mistake for anyone else.”
Orario wasn’t without Renards, but Hoshimi Miyabi really was the only Renard around who carried a sword and dressed like a warrior.
“Tch. A rookie who’d just received a Falna making it all the way down to the seventeenth floor? That rumor’s so stupid it’s funny. Is the Guild brain-dead? They actually believe that?”
The Amazon’s voice was full of scorn for both Miyabi and the Guild.
“Enough. Our job right now is to bring the ‘goods’ in. There’s no need to make an enemy of the Loki Familia.” The adventurer turned to Eugene. “Have your caravan pack the goods. Three days from now, enter Orario through District Four.”
Eugene didn’t agree right away. Instead, he picked up the map and studied it for a long while. “District Four might be the Ishtar Familia’s turf, but there are still two Level 4s there.”
Before Eugene could finish, the adventurer cut him off. “Relax. Lord Rudra has already contacted our eyes inside the Guild. Three days from now, the Guild will assign the Astraea Familia a mandatory expedition.”
“When that happens, either Gale or Yamato Rindou will have to leave.”
Hearing that they had help from the Guild’s upper ranks put Eugene at ease.
“Good. I happen to be delivering a Renard and supplies to the Ishtar Familia three days from now. The goods can be mixed in with that shipment, but you must make sure Gale and Yamato Rindou won’t both be in District Four at the same time.”
“A Renard?” The moment Jura and the Amazon heard that rare word, interest sparked in their eyes. Even the adventurer looked up at Eugene.
“Renards are rare in Orario. How’d you get one?”
“I bought her from bandits. That Renard was apparently already a slave. From what the bandits said, her owner was a Pallum. When they attacked, the Pallum abandoned the Renard and ran. The bandits were planning to sell her in Orario, but I ran into them on the road and bought her first.”
Jura rubbed his hands together, then slung an arm around Eugene’s neck with a friendly grin.
“Eugene, that Renard’s still untouched, right? Why don’t you let me inspect the goods first? She’s going to be a prostitute anyway, so I can give her some ‘job training’ in advance.”
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 26
--+--
Chapter 26: Jagamarukun Are the Best
--+--
“No!” Eugene shot down Jura’s suggestion without a second thought. “The price difference between untouched and used goods is night and day, and I can tell you’re just trying to get a free ride.”
Eugene covered eighty percent of the Rudra Familia’s daily expenses and operating funds, so there was no hiding whether Jura had money on him.
“No way...” Jura put on an exaggerated look and tightened his grip around Eugene’s arm, making it hard for Eugene to breathe. “Trust my skills. Give me three days... no, two. I’ll break that Renard in and turn her into a proper whore.”
“Don’t even think about it. I spent more than half my fortune finding this batch of ‘goods.’ I’m counting on that Renard to help me make it back. This isn’t up for discussion.”
Jura clicked his tongue, annoyed that he couldn’t claim the Renard’s first time. Then his eyes shifted.
“Speaking of Renards, that rookie in the Loki Familia’s only Lv. 1, right? Eugene, you think we should—gh!”
Before Jura could finish, the adventurer who hadn’t joined the conversation drove a fist into his face and slammed him into the wall.
“Jura, I told you before. Don’t provoke the Loki Familia. Our priority is wiping out the Astraea Familia. As long as they’re alive, we’ll always be rats hiding in the gutter.”
Jura rubbed his aching face and staggered back to his feet. He shot the adventurer a fearful look and didn’t dare say another word. The Amazon, who hadn’t spoken much either, smiled and pulled Jura into her arms.
“Jura, if you really need to let off steam, you can come to my room tonight.”
“I’ll pass, Amazon...”
Once the adventurer announced they were done, the four of them left the alley one after another.
Each wore the smile of someone sure their plot was about to succeed, never knowing that Hoshimi Miyabi had heard every word from the rooftop above.
Miyabi didn’t show herself to arrest them, since she didn’t know where she was supposed to take them after catching them. Dragging them back to the Familia would’ve drawn too much attention, so she returned to Twilight Manor and told Finn what had happened.
Miyabi didn’t repeat every foul word from the Rudra Familia. She distilled it down to the key points instead.
“First, the Rudra Familia is secretly transporting a kind of ‘cargo’ into Orario. It’s likely their ace in the hole against the Astraea Familia. Second, someone high up in the Guild is colluding with the Rudra Familia in secret. Third, they’ll move the ‘cargo’ into Orario through the Fourth District three days from now.”
Finn had already gotten used to Miyabi’s mission-report style of speaking. Compared with how she spoke, what she said was far more shocking.
“Evilus. The Rudra Familia. I didn’t think they’d still be this hard to kill. They’re down to a few remnants, yet they still want to cause trouble.”
“So what exactly is Evilus?”
Finn hadn’t wanted Miyabi to learn about Evilus this early, but now that she’d run into them, he had no choice but to explain.
In simple terms, Evilus was an alliance of Familias that loved chaos, murder, and bloodshed. Those Familias took joy in conflict and slaughter, and they’d start fights with other Familias whenever they felt like it.
After years of effort from Orario, most of the dark Familias had been wiped out, with only a few survivors left. The Rudra Familia was one of them. Back then, they’d been too weak to stand out during that dark era, so they’d escaped being sent back to Heaven.
After listening to Finn’s explanation, Miyabi had a rough idea of what kind of group Evilus was.
They were a lot like the Exaltists.
Finn saw Miyabi’s face grow darker and darker, as if she might draw her blade and start cutting people down at any moment, so he quickly spoke up.
“Don’t be reckless. The current Evilus can’t stir up much trouble in Orario. They’re like sewer rats. The moment someone spots them, they’ll scurry back into hiding. We need to create a chance to round up the remnants of Evilus in one sweep and cut this tumor out of Orario for good.”
Miyabi hadn’t planned to go kill anyone right away. She’d only lost a little control of her killing intent after realizing Evilus was like the Exaltists.
“Understood. I won’t act rashly.”
“Good. Go rest for now. I’ll need some time to investigate Evilus.”
“All right.”
After Miyabi left, Finn folded his hands and pressed them against his chin. His mind began to race.
'Could the “cargo” meant to deal with the Astraea Familia be magic swords? No... Evilus doesn’t have the money to buy magic swords in organized quantities.’
‘For a cheap weapon, the only thing that makes sense is fire stones. And the location? The Astraea Familia patrols every district during the day, so they won’t gather in one place except at night.’
'To wipe out the Astraea Familia in one strike, they’ll need bait. The only bait that works is Evilus themselves.’
'In other words, Evilus plans to recreate what happened a year ago?'
Using the information Miyabi had brought him, Finn soon pieced together most of the enemy’s plan. He stood at once and went to find his goddess, Loki, intending to tell her the news.
--+--
Ais’s expression was much the same as it’d been that morning. Her eyes were dim, and her spirits were low.
She sat on the bed with her knees drawn up like an abandoned kitten, using them to prop up her small head while she stared blankly at the blue sky outside the window.
Ever since Miyabi had assigned her “one week of training without entering the Dungeon” that morning, Ais had stayed like this.
She wanted to go into the Dungeon and grow stronger by fighting monsters. Not entering the Dungeon for a whole week was almost the same as killing her.
But with Miyabi’s arrival, Ais finally changed.
A familiar smell drifted into her nose. It was the scent of her favorite Jagamarukun. Before Miyabi could even knock, Ais sprang off the bed and opened the door barefoot.
‘Jagamarukun. Delicious Jagamarukun, here I come.’
Miyabi handed the bag full of Jagamarukun to Ais, who was practically drooling. “I happened to buy them on the street. I heard from the Familia that you like them.”
The smell of potatoes swept away the gloom in Ais’s heart. She picked up a Jagamarukun and stuffed it into her mouth before Miyabi had even left.
“Just as I thought... Jagamarukun are the best.” Ais narrowed her eyes in bliss, her cheeks puffed round with potato like a hamster’s.
The sight was so cute that Miyabi placed a hand on her head without thinking. Ais’s hair was smooth and soft, and it felt pleasant under her palm.
“It’s getting late. Eat up, then get some rest. We’ll begin new training first thing tomorrow morning.”
Ais suddenly froze and looked up at Miyabi. “Aren’t I supposed to finish the training where I don’t go into the Dungeon?”
“No one said you can only do one kind of training at a time. Not entering the Dungeon this week doesn’t mean you won’t do anything.”
“Mm!”
Ais answered with excitement and ate even more happily.
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 27
--+--
Chapter 27: Training in Energy Control
--+--
Ais woke earlier than ever that day. She couldn't wait to begin her training under Hoshimi Miyabi, and she believed that as long as she trained with Miyabi, she'd keep getting stronger.
She wiped her face with a towel, made no attempt to fix her messy blond hair, then pulled on her shoes and bounced her way to Miyabi's door. But after Ais waited there with her hopes high for more than ten minutes, Miyabi still hadn't come out.
Ais didn't want to wait any longer, so she knocked on the door. No one answered. The door beside Miyabi's opened with a creak instead.
“Ais?”
“Riveria...”
Riveria had just been about to ask what Ais was doing there. Then she saw that bird's nest of hair, and her anger shot up like a flame.
“Ais... get in here.”
Ais went stiff. That wrathful voice brought back, in an instant, the terror of being ruled by the dorm mother.
Her body moved on instinct, and she turned to run, only for Riveria to catch her by the collar with a swift hand.
Like a cat seized by the scruff of its neck, Ais stopped struggling at once.
Riveria lifted her up and carried her straight into her room, then set her down in front of the vanity. She picked up the comb on the table and began fixing Ais's hair.
“How many times have I told you? Comb your hair before you go out. A girl has to take care of her hair, especially when she's got beautiful blond hair like yours.”
Riveria lifted a lock of it in her hand. Ais had a lot of hair, and it was so fine that holding it felt like holding thin silk. That was exactly why Riveria got angry when Ais didn't care for it.
Ais sat up straight like a model student and let Riveria work, but her mind had already drifted to the room next door.
“Riveria... do you know where Miyabi went?”
“Hoshimi Miyabi? At this hour, she's already gone out. I heard she's doing some sort of ‘thirty thousand sword swings in one hour’ training. She's a very diligent person.”
“I see. Riveria, can swinging a sword every day really make someone stronger?”
Aside from rookies, few veteran adventurers did basic training like that. Instead of spending the whole day on dull sword swings, it was better to go into the Dungeon and fight monsters. You'd improve and earn money at the same time.
“Everyone has their own way of growing stronger. I don't know whether that method will make Hoshimi Miyabi stronger, but it certainly won't do much for you.”
Riveria knew exactly what Ais was thinking, so she cut off that idea with one clean sentence.
“Oh...”
Ais fell quiet, and Riveria didn't say anything more. She focused on the work in front of her. About ten minutes later, she finished, and Ais's hair had returned to its smooth, straight golden state.
“There. Go on. Next time I catch you getting out of bed without combing your hair, I'll ban you from entering the Dungeon for a month.”
Riveria's stern tone left Ais with no thought of resisting.
“O-okay...”
Riveria watched Ais hurry away. At last, her stern face broke, and she laughed.
“Haha. That's far too funny. The old Ais was never this obedient. Hoshimi Miyabi's quite good at teaching children.”
Over the past few days, the three executives had all been watching how Miyabi and Ais interacted.
When they saw that Miyabi could actually use training to limit Ais's trips into the Dungeon, the same thought had come to all of them: so that's an option too.
All three of them, along with their god, agreed that letting Miyabi and Ais spend more time together would help Ais grow.
--+--
After leaving the high tower, Ais went straight to the training area. Just as Riveria had said, Miyabi was standing in the middle of the training grounds, swinging her blade.
Ais stood quietly beside her, cupped her face in both hands, and watched Miyabi train. Sword swings were dull, at least to Ais. It was even more so when they were like Miyabi's, each swing exactly the same as the last.
Ais thought this kind of training was boring and inefficient. Miyabi, however, didn't see it that way. With every swing, she could feel herself growing stronger than before.
Of course, that improvement was tiny, no more than the leg of a mosquito.
Half an hour later, Miyabi finally finished her training. She let out a long breath and sheathed Tailless. Ais had found a towel from somewhere, and the moment Miyabi stopped, she handed it over.
“Thanks.”
Miyabi wasn't surprised by Ais's sudden appearance. In fact, she'd known Ais was there from the moment she stepped into the training grounds.
“Do you need to rest?”
“No. Training at this level doesn't require rest. Are you ready?”
“I'm ready. What kind of training are we doing today?”
“Energy control.”
“Energy control?”
“That's right. Energy control.”
Miyabi walked to the large tree at the edge of the grounds and spoke to Ais across from her.
“Use your magic.”
“Awaken.”
Ais obediently used her only spell.
“I remember you've got a move where you compress all your wind and release it at once. Use it. Your targets are these leaves. Pay attention, and control your strength when you release it. Don't hurt the tree.”
As she spoke, Miyabi patted the trunk. The branches shook, and dozens of bright green leaves drifted down from above.
“Tempest.”
Once the leaves had fallen halfway, Ais released the wind she'd compressed. The violent storm shredded every leaf to pieces.
The trunk wasn't damaged, but the ground had been torn into a mess, and the area caught in the blast was left in chaos.
Miyabi had noticed what happened. When Ais released the move, she couldn't fully control it, so she'd only managed to guide part of the storm toward the ground. That was what caused the damage.
It also proved that Ais's control over her magic wasn't strong.
“Give me your sword.”
Ais obediently handed Miyabi her spare rapier. Miyabi took it and examined it. The blade, once whole, was now covered in cracks, as if the slightest bit of force would shatter it.
“Wait here a moment.”
Miyabi turned and left, leaving Ais alone to stare blankly at her sword. After a while, Miyabi came back with dozens of wooden swords in the same style as the one Ais held.
“Pick up this wooden sword and use that same move again.”
Crack.
The instant Ais used her wind, the wooden sword shattered under the powerful force within it. The result was exactly what Miyabi had expected.
“Today's training is this: successfully release Tempest once while using a wooden sword.”
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 28
--+--
Chapter 28: Energy and Molds
--+-
Hoshimi Miyabi knew this world had magic. She'd seen very little of it, though—only Alise and Ais casting spells. By coincidence, both spells she'd seen were the type that wrapped themselves around something else.
Riveria had told Miyabi that magic was a powerful technique released through chanting.
Based on the length of the chant, spells could be divided into ultra-short, short, long, and ultra-long chants. Ais's magic counted as an ultra-short chant. She only had to speak one word to activate it.
Miyabi didn't understand why magic had to rely on chanting at all. In theory, being able to use magic of a certain attribute meant you could control that element.
At the very least, that was how it worked in New Eridu, where people with high Ether aptitude could control Ether and turn it into different kinds of elemental energy.
Miyabi felt that same principle should apply in Orario. If someone could cast magic, then their body had to hold an affinity with some element, and they should also be able to control that element in battle.
Ais's earlier “Tempest” had shown that this world's magic wasn't fixed in place.
Training precise energy control, then using that control to branch into different attacks, was the current direction Miyabi had chosen for Ais.
Time slipped by, and Ais snapped another wooden sword. Her techniques were strong enough that even weapons forged by the Goibniu Familia sometimes couldn't withstand them, much less a fragile wooden practice sword.
There were only a dozen or so wooden swords left nearby, yet Ais still hadn't made any progress.
To finish today's training, she trotted over to Miyabi with a pitiful look and tugged at the hem of her clothes, shaking it again and again.
“It's so hard, Miyabi... it's so hard.”
From watching her just now, Miyabi had also noticed that Ais's energy control was a complete mess. If she kept practicing like this, even another hundred wooden swords might not be enough for her to succeed.
“Do you know where the problem is?”
“The wind... it's too strong. I can't control it.”
Ais had found the problem herself after breaking the tenth wooden sword.
When she gathered the wind, the wooden sword serving as its vessel had to bear more force as more wind collected around it. Even when Ais tried hard to control the wind, it didn't help.
“That's right.”
Miyabi picked up a wooden sword from the ground.
“Guess what'll happen if I attach foxfire to this sword?”
Ais tilted her head and looked at the wooden sword in Miyabi's hand.
“It'll... burn? Then freeze into ice and crack apart, falling all over the ground.”
“Is that so? Let's see.”
Miyabi raised the wooden sword. Blue foxfire flowed along her arm and spread onto the blade.
This step was almost the same as what Ais had done, except Ais gathered wind around the sword, while Miyabi let the blue foxfire crawl across the blade itself.
Just as Ais had said, the wooden sword began to freeze the moment it touched the foxfire. As the foxfire spread, the sword's brown surface was replaced by blue.
Yet what stunned Ais was that once the flames had fully wrapped around the sword, it didn't shatter the way she'd imagined. Instead, it acted as a vessel for the foxfire, giving shape to flames that'd had none.
“How did you do that?” Ais couldn't help asking. Her heart was already full of the need to know.
“Because I added a safeguard to the wooden sword so it could hold its shape. But a wooden sword is still a wooden sword. Even if it can keep its form, there's still a limit.”
Miyabi swung a slash toward the open ground. Once the force sustaining it was gone, the wooden sword turned into fragments and fell to the ground, just as Ais had first said.
The final result was the same, but Miyabi had managed to make one slash, while Ais had failed at the very first step.
“How did you do it? That's amazing, Miyabi... I want to learn.”
“In the end, it's still energy control. Energy itself has no shape, especially an attribute like wind, so you need a physical tool to give it form. With a fragile weapon like a wooden sword, its function is only one thing—a mold.”
“What we need to do is separate some extra energy while shaping the attack and form a protective layer around the outside of the wooden sword. That way, the sword won't shatter because it can't bear the energy.”
“Your magic already has a defensive function, so this shouldn't be hard for you. Keep training. Before you attack, the first thing you need to think about is defense.”
Miyabi picked up another wooden sword and handed it to Ais, who'd fallen into thought.
“Defense... attack...”
Ais held the wooden sword and kept murmuring those two words. Miyabi had explained it clearly, but Ais understood the problem.
Wind and ice, or fire, weren't the same. Ice was easy to shape, and fire had a certain form as well.
Wind, though, was completely formless. How to shape the wind and use a wooden sword to perform one compressed gust was a problem Ais had to solve herself.
“Ais, my girl! Hoshimi Miyabi, my girl!”
A slightly frivolous shout rang out behind them, followed by hurried footsteps. The moment Miyabi and Ais heard it, both of them dodged aside on instinct.
The next instant, a huge black rat... no, a goddess, leapt past them from behind and landed flat on the ground.
Loki sprawled face-first in front of them, then quickly got up, patted the dirt from her clothes, and complained, “Seriously, I get Ais dodging, but why's Hoshimi Miyabi so quick to dodge too?”
“Based on my perception of the airflow behind me, I concluded that if I didn't evade, there was a one hundred percent chance I'd fall into demonic claws and be forced to suffer inhuman torment. So I followed my instincts and dodged.”
Miyabi's straight-faced explanation left Loki at a loss for words.
She really wanted to tell Miyabi that it was a “loving hug” and a “loving caress.” But when she thought about how Miyabi would likely fire back after that, she gave up.
“Let's talk business. Hoshimi Miyabi, do you've got anything else later? I need you to come out with me.”
“Go out with you?” Miyabi raised an eyebrow in surprise.
On most days, Loki was either lying around half-dead in Twilight Manor or wandering outside, coming and going without a trace. The fact that she'd actually take Miyabi out with her this time was rare.
“Yeah. I'm taking you to meet a divine friend and discuss a few things. It's related to the information you brought back.”
Loki didn't say it in front of Ais, but Miyabi already knew who they were going to meet. The patron goddess of the Astraea Familia—Astraea.
According to Riveria, this goddess was a patron goddess who governed “justice.” That did stir a little interest in Miyabi.
“Sure. Do I need to prepare anything?”
Miyabi had already taught Ais everything she needed to teach her. The rest was something Ais had to grasp on her own, so Miyabi didn't refuse Loki's request to go out together.
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 29
--+--
Chapter 29: Astraea
--+--
A stylish café sat in District One. There, Hoshimi Miyabi met Astraea for the first time, the goddess Alise had called her patron deity.
Judging by looks alone, it was hard to picture her being tied to stern words like “Order” and “Justice.”
In Miyabi’s eyes, the goddess was overflowing with gentle wife energy. A soft, spring-like smile seemed to rest on her face at all times, and even when she greeted Loki, her voice stayed warm and kind.
“It’s been a long time, Loki.”
“Yeah, long time no see, Astraea. Pretty rare, ain’t it? You’re out and about, and you didn’t bring the Scarlet Harnel with you. Long time no see too, Kaguya. How’ve you been?”
Loki greeted Astraea in a smooth Kansai lilt. Kaguya, who’d been dragged into the conversation out of nowhere, wasn’t pleased, but she forced a smile and answered anyway.
“I’ve been well. It’s been a long time, Lady Loki.”
Once Astraea sat down, her gaze shifted to Miyabi, who stood behind Loki. “So this child is the new member of the Loki Familia, Hoshimi Miyabi?”
Loki pulled out a chair, leaving space for Miyabi, then introduced her in a tone so grand it was almost absurd. “That’s right. This here’s the strongest new recruit in the Loki Familia, Hoshimi Miyabi.”
The title “strongest new recruit” caught Astraea’s attention. The Loki Familia had no shortage of geniuses, and some of them had already stood out even back at Level 1.
For Miyabi to be called the strongest among so many talented people meant her gift had to be far beyond that of the others in the Loki Familia.
Astraea looked at Miyabi. As the Goddess of Justice, she soon saw that beneath Miyabi’s cold expression was a heart that carried justice within it. Those eyes, above all, struck her.
Not even the children of her own Familia had eyes that showed such firm resolve at every turn.
Astraea didn’t know where Miyabi had come from, but she was certain of one thing. Before joining a Familia, this child named Hoshimi Miyabi had already lived through a remarkable adventure.
“Hello, Hoshimi Miyabi. I’m Astraea. My children had a misunderstanding with you before, so I’ll apologize to you on their behalf.”
Astraea bowed her head to Miyabi, and Kaguya, standing behind her, nearly jumped in fright. “Lady Astraea, please don’t. That whole thing was Alise’s fault for acting on her own. If anyone’s apologizing, it should be her.”
“It’s all right. As the patron goddess of my Familia, this is something I ought to do.”
“It was only a misunderstanding. You don’t need to go this far. I got along with Alise well enough.”
Seeing that Miyabi didn’t care about the previous misunderstanding, Astraea let out a breath of relief. Loki waited for the greetings to end, then got straight to the point.
“All right, pleasantries’re over. Time for business. I didn’t come here just to chat.”
At the mention of business, Astraea’s expression changed at once. Beneath that gentle look, a touch of gallant sharpness appeared.
“Hoshimi Miyabi received information yesterday. It seems the Rudra Familia intends to move against your Familia. They’ve bought a large amount of unknown dangerous goods from outside the city and plan to bring them into District Four three days from now.”
Kaguya began searching her memory for information about Rudra. Two years ago, this Evilus faction hadn’t even been worth ranking. Yet now, two years later, it had become one of the strongest forces among Evilus.
“The Rudra Familia? Do they have any upper-class adventurers? Even two years ago, when Evilus was active, I never heard their name.”
“They’re a very quiet Evilus faction, no doubt about that. So quiet, in fact, that we don’t even know where their headquarters is.”
Loki leaned back in her chair and looked up at the sky, her brows tightly knit. This dark faction that’d appeared out of nowhere seemed to be giving her a serious headache.
Astraea turned her gaze to Miyabi again. “Child, can you tell us everything that happened?”
This time, Miyabi didn’t give a concise report. She told the full story from the start: how she’d met Alise, how after they parted she noticed someone following Alise, and how she’d then followed that person to the group’s meeting place and overheard what they said.
‘That idiot captain didn’t even notice she was being followed. And that useless elf... Who patrols while staring at the ground?’
Kaguya kept scolding the members of her Familia in her heart. One of them had been followed, yet the person who noticed was a member of another Familia, and a new Level 1 recruit at that.
Sure, that recruit was absurdly strong, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that Alise and the others hadn’t realized they were being tailed.
As she blamed her captain and that useless elf, Kaguya failed to notice something else. She hadn’t realized they were being followed either.
When Miyabi finished, Astraea knew she wasn’t lying. The mood turned heavy in an instant. Kaguya’s face filled with anger, while Astraea’s gentle features took on a fierce, killing edge.
“Thank you for telling us, Loki. I’ll have my children pay more attention to their surroundings from now on. As for the operation two days from now, what are your thoughts?”
“Evilus is planning to enter Orario through District Four in two days. District Four’s Ishtar’s territory. Not only might things go wrong there, but it could also spark a clash with the Ishtar Familia. So Finn’s idea is to deal with them outside Orario, quietly.”
“That’ll be hard to do,” Astraea said, concern showing on her face.
Stopping the enemy outside Orario and dealing with them there was the best option. The key problem was that High Class Adventurers couldn’t leave Orario whenever they pleased.
The Rudra Familia had someone among the Guild’s higher-ups, so if they followed the proper procedures, it’d alert the Rudra Familia.
“We’ll handle the people outside Orario. As for you, Astraea, I’d like you to speak with Ouranos and have him flush out the traitor in the Guild. If they really have someone that high up in the Guild, we’ll be far too passive. And if possible, it'd be best to find the Rudra Familia’s lair.”
Finn had already thought this problem through. The Guild restricted upper-class adventurers from leaving Orario, but it didn’t restrict Low Class Adventurers. And within the Loki Familia, there was one Low Class Adventurer whose strength wasn’t beneath that of a First Class Adventurer.
Hoshimi Miyabi. She was the reason Finn had the confidence to put this plan into action.
Of course, Finn wouldn’t let Miyabi face Evilus alone. He needed to find another helper.
After both sides agreed on their own tasks, they parted ways. As they were leaving, Astraea even invited Miyabi to visit her Familia when she had time.
But before she could finish, Loki grabbed Miyabi and hurried away.
Miyabi’s cooperation period with the Loki Familia was only one year. What if a year passed, Miyabi still couldn’t return home, and she suddenly decided to convert?
After spending so many days together, Loki had realized something. Hoshimi Miyabi and the Astraea Familia were terrifyingly compatible.
To keep Miyabi from running off a year from now, the Loki Familia decided it’d do its best to keep Miyabi away from the Astraea Familia from now on.
--+--
Hoshimi Miyabi, Enters the Dungeon! - 30
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Chapter 30: Asfi, Done With Life
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The Hermes Familia headquarters.
While Loki was busy touching base with Astraea, Finn was also seeking help from an “old friend.”
The captain of one of Orario’s strongest Familias had come in person, which left the rest of the Familia flattered beyond words.
For the current captain, Asfi, though, Finn’s arrival meant trouble.
After inviting Finn into her office, Asfi rubbed her eyes, which had already gone blurry from strain. A full day of paperwork had eaten deep into her sleep, and with her pretty face paired with heavy dark circles, she had the look of a frail beauty on the edge of collapse.
“Lord Hermes hasn’t come back yet. As for the Loki Familia’s request, he sent a letter the day before yesterday saying he’s found a lead.”
Deep down, Asfi prayed Finn had only come to check on that request. That way, she’d have one less thing to do.
Reality, as always, went out of its way to disappoint her.
“There’s no rush on that matter. I came to see you today about another request.”
Finn’s words shattered Asfi’s last hope of staying far away from trouble. She did have the right to refuse a request, but she knew full well that if this Pallum had come in person, then the matter had already grown serious enough that she couldn’t say no.
Still, Asfi wanted to make one last stand. Out of habit, she picked up the coffee beside her and took a sip.
“What kind of request? I’ll say this first, I might not be able to accept it.”
“I’d like you to help me sneak the unnamed High Class Adventurers out of Orario two days from now.”
Pfft!
The request was so absurd that Asfi couldn’t hold back. She sprayed out every drop of coffee she hadn’t yet swallowed.
Thankfully, Finn had been ready. The instant Asfi spat out the coffee, he slipped out of the way.
“Cough, cough... Please don’t joke about that. High Class Adventurers secretly leaving Orario would be a serious breach of the Guild’s rules. Our Familia already has enough trouble, so forgive me, but I can’t agree to this.”
Finn didn’t look discouraged by Asfi’s refusal. Instead, he seemed to think it over and said, “So you’re saying you can sneak people out, then.”
Asfi Al Andromeda was one of the few adventurers in Orario who possessed the Development Ability [Mystery]. Thanks to that ability, Asfi herself was famous for making magic items, and she’d been granted the title “Perseus.”
If anyone could move four high-ranking adventurers out of Orario without a trace, it’d be Asfi, the woman standing before him. Finn hadn’t been sure before, but after that little probe, he was now certain Asfi had a magic item that could get people out.
She’d been played.
Asfi collapsed across her desk like a deflated balloon.
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, Finn felt a little sympathy for her. Having a god who went around stirring up trouble really did test the stress tolerance of a Familia’s leadership.
“I don’t want to trouble the Hermes Familia either, but this matter concerns an Evilus plot.”
It’s over.
If Evilus was involved, Asfi had no way to refuse. Her god was part of the faction that stood for justice, after all.
Like an ostrich, Asfi covered her ears, but after a moment, she realized that was only self-deception and lowered her hands again.
“What exactly happened? Why is Evilus involved again?”
Finn told Asfi about the Rudra Familia’s plot.
‘It’s tied to the Astraea Familia again. Now I really can’t say no.’
Asfi let out a long sigh, forced herself to rally, and said to Finn, “What do you want me to do?”
“That depends on what method you’d use to get them out without anyone noticing.”
“There are two ways. One is to use a flying item and carry them out high above the city. The other is an invisibility cloak, though higher-level adventurers would still notice something.”
Whenever Finn needed to make a call, his trusty secret weapon took the stage. He licked his thumb, then quickly made his decision.
“Use the invisibility cloak. I’ll have Riveria and the Ganesha Familia make arrangements in advance. Captain Asfi, I’d like you to submit an outside travel request to the Guild two days from now. Take Hoshimi Miyabi out of Orario under the pretext of completing a request. Our people will leave with you when the time comes.”
Having Asfi leave with Hoshimi Miyabi while the other adventurers followed behind them was the best arrangement Finn could think of for avoiding the Rudra Familia’s suspicion.
As for why he didn’t choose to have Asfi send them out one by one, it was because his thumb had throbbed when he considered that plan. In other words, the first method carried a high risk of exposure.
The second method would draw Rudra’s attention, but Hoshimi Miyabi was only a new Lv. 1 adventurer. “Perseus” was only Lv. 2 as well. Even if that pair left Orario, the Rudra Familia wouldn’t suspect their true purpose.
“I understand.” Since Asfi knew she couldn’t refuse, she fully transformed into a reply machine. No matter what Finn said, she’d agree.
As for how she’d pull it off? A perfect tool could always find a way to get the job done.
“Glad we could work together. How much will this request cost?”
At the mention of money, Asfi managed to regain a little energy. She pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing figures on it.
“Since this concerns Evilus, I’ll only charge you for labor this time. The total is 300,000 valis. Will you pay now or put it on credit?”
“Put it on credit for now. I’ll pay it off in a week.”
Finn gave a helpless laugh. The Familia had been preparing for an expedition lately, so their finances were already tight. After this incident was settled, he planned to take Riveria and the others into the Dungeon to earn some valis.
“Fine.”
The Loki Familia had a decent reputation. Even on credit, no one would suspect them of refusing to pay.
--+--
After leaving the Hermes Familia headquarters, Finn rushed back to the Familia and gathered all of its leadership for an operations meeting. This time, it wasn’t only the three top executives attending. Second Class Adventurers such as Raul and Alicia were also present.
Of course, there was also Bete, the werewolf who’d joined the Loki Familia just one year ago.
Among everyone there, Hoshimi Miyabi, the one with the lowest level, stood out the most.
“You should all understand the details by now. Our mission this time is to foil the Rudra Familia’s plot. Two days from now, they’ll move a batch of suspected dangerous goods from the Fourth District into Orario.
“Our job is to stop those dangerous goods from entering Orario. At the same time, we’ll capture members of the Rudra Familia alive and force them to reveal the location of Rudra’s headquarters.
“I’ll now assign the operation roles. Since this mission requires us to fight outside Orario, we’ll have limited personnel. Including Hoshimi Miyabi, six people can leave the city. Gareth, Hoshimi Miyabi, one other Lv. 4, and I will form three teams and set up ambushes on the three roads leading to the Fourth District gate.”
The moment Finn said that, everyone’s eyes gathered on Hoshimi Miyabi.
--+--