AN:
Guys, for this chapter, I recommend you guys read this one on Wattpad. I added some images there to make this chapter a little bit funnier.
The title is the same on Wattpad:
The Last Glimmer of Hope (Danmachi Fanfiction)
As well as my author name and pfp on there.
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The Day Bell Meets Ais.
Start of the MS.
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It was now officially the day Bell meets the Sword Princess or Ais Wallenstein.
For the past eleven days, Yuuya have been hunting in the 20th floor. He also tried wandering to the 21st and 22nd floor sometimes, but never really stayed there for long.
He already maxed out his stats so the only thing he does there is to earn money.
And now? He is resting.
The 18th floor was as tranquil as a graveyard at midnight, which was exactly how Yuuya liked it. He was currently sprawled out on a bed of bioluminescent moss near the edge of the central lake, his silver breastplate unbuckled and resting against a nearby tree root.
He had gone out to the dungeon three hours earlier than Bell.
After three more hours of absolute carnage on the 20th floor—where he had essentially turned a sector of the dungeon into a private slaughterhouse—his body felt like it had been put through a hydraulic press. A fancy way of saying he is exhausted.
His illegal stats were doing their job, but the mental strain of maintaining a mana blade while soloing mobs like lizardmans, vouivres, and other monsters was starting to pay its tax in the form of a dull, rhythmic throb behind his eyes.
[You look pathetic,] the System chimed in, its voice echoing with a particularly smug resonance today. [Face-down in a pile of glowing weeds? I've seen sands with more structural integrity.]
'Shut up,' Yuuya grumbled internally, not even bothering to open his eyes. 'I'm recovering naturally. It's a concept you wouldn't understand, being a glorified calculator.'
[I understand that "naturally" is just your code for "I'm too cheap to buy another potion." You have more than two million Valis in your account. You could literally bathe in Mind Potions at this point.]
'If a certain goddess of mine wouldn't put our familia into a crippling debt a few days from now on, then maybe. Besides... it's peaceful here.'
It had been a few hours since the Loki Familia had passed through on their way back to the surface. Finn had looked at him with that knowing Braver smile, offering him a spot in their formation for a safe escort back to Babel.
"We have a spare carriage for the wounded, Yuuya. You look like you've been chewed on by a Floor Boss," Finn had said.
Yuuya had just waved them off with a dismissive grunt. "I'm good, Finn. I like the view. Tell Hestia I'll be home for dinner."
The truth was, he didn't want to explain why a "Level 2" was soloing the 20th floor to a group of Level 6 elites for another ten floors of travel.
The questions were getting exhausting.
[Oh, look,] the System remarked, ignoring his previous logic. [A butterfly. Are you going to analyze its flight patterns for tactical weaknesses, or should we go back to discussing why you still haven't told Hestia that your eyes look like the void of space?]
'I didn't choose them to be that way and I was born with it. And for your information, they are dark brown, you glitchy piece of—'
[They're blacker than a politician's heart, Yuuya. Stop lying to yourself. If you stared into a mirror long enough, you'd probably accidentally summon a Great Old One.]
Yuuya sighed. His head is throbbing and he didn't want to deal with anymore of this for now.
Then suddenly, he felt something.
He felt agony, despair, and everything unfair in the air.
"Oh that reminds me, today is the day Bell meets Ais right?"
[Yes,] the System confirmed, its tone shifting to one of sheer, unadulterated amusement. [As of now, he is being chased by the minotaur and he sounds like he's currently setting a new Orario record for the 100-meter dash.]
Yuuya sat up slowly, rubbing his face. Contemplating his options wether he'll go back up and save the rabbit.
But in the end, he chose not to go.
"Nah he'll be fine. Probably."
[Well, technically, Bell is doing fine on the 5th floor.] the System snickered. [Except the "fine" in question has horns, weighs two tons, and escaped from the Loki Familia's failure earlier.]
"He'll be alright, you said it yourself. If he loses a limb, we can just reattach it with a potion. That is considering the cow didn't treat it as premium grass and ate it."
[...dude.]
"Yeah I know that sounds cruel, sorry." Said Yuuya. "I'm gonna go back up after a while. Let me enjoy the peace for a while. No monsters, no Loki Familia asking why my eyes look like black holes, no Hestia trying to make me eat potato snacks. Just... peace.'
[Your peace is a danger to others, Yuuya. Usually followed by a sudden increase in heart rate and the sound of someone screaming.]
'Not here. This is a Safe Zone. Unless a Floor Boss decides to walk through the ceiling, nothing is happening.'
[Well technically speaking, yes. Not here. But a few floors down? A certain rabbit would beg to differ.]
Meanwhile, back on the 5th Floor...
"GYAAAAAAARGH! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"
Bell Cranel was currently experiencing the worst day of his life.
He had been having a great morning. He have killed three Goblins and a Kobold. He felt fast. He felt strong. He felt like a real adventurer. And then, he had rounded a corner.
There, lo and behold, he came face-to-face with a creature that looked like it had been sculpted out of pure, concentrated anger and spite.
A Minotaur.
It was huge. It was hairy. It was very angry. And it was currently trying to turn Bell into a white-haired pancake.
"Why is it here!?" Bell shrieked, his boots skidding on the damp stone as he banked a hard left. "Yuuya-bro said the 5th floor only had Frogs and Shadows! This isn't a Frog! This is a mountain with horns!"
The Minotaur let out a roar that shook the very walls of the corridor, its massive hooves thundering against the floor. It was faster than it looked, and it was closing the gap.
Bell looked back, his red eyes wide with tears of pure adrenaline. He gripped his shortsword—the one Welf had made, the one Yuuya had helped him pick out-and felt a surge of desperation.
'I promised! I promised her I'd be a hero!'
He tried to recall Yuuya's training. "Don't panic, Bell. Read the bulge of the walls. Watch the footing."
"I'm watching the footing!" Bell yelled at the empty air. "But the footing is being chased by a bull!"
He scrambled up a pile of rubble, nearly losing his sword in the process.
He could feel the heat radiating off the monster's breath. He was trapped. The corridor ahead was a dead end.
He turned, back against the wall, holding his sword in a trembling double-grip. The Minotaur slowed down, its nostrils flaring as it prepared for the final charge.
"Okay," Bell whispered, his voice cracking. "Okay. Deep breaths. Just like Yuuya-bro said. One strike. Aim for the stone."
The Minotaur lowered its head.
"I'M GONNA BE A HEROOOO!"
And the minotaur charged.
Bell dodges the minotaurs charge and pivots to prepare for a counter. One of the moves Yuuya showed him before.
As a result of his evasion, the minotaur crashed to the wall behind Bell instead. While it was still reeling from the impact, Bell used the opening and strikes.
Bell thrusted his sword towards it chest where the magic crystal is located.
For one glorious second, he thought he might actually be able to pull it off. That he can win.
But then, the sword bounced off its skin. Pathetically. Leaving no damage.
Bell stared at the place where his sword landed on the minotaur, back to his weapon at his hand, then back at the minotaur.
"Uh... I'm sorry?" Bell said sheepishly.
UWOOOOHHHH—
Back on the 18th Floor...
[Live update, Bell was cornered on a dead end.]
"And?"
[The minotaur charged but he manages to evade it and even land a counter. The one you taught him when facing a charging enemy.]
"Nice."
[And the counter practically did nothing to the minotaur.]
"...not nice."
[I mean, he is a level 1. If it was you who did that, it would probably end the fight.]
Back in the 5th floor... Again...
After angering the cow, Bell was back at it again. Being chased by it.
"GYAAAAAAAH! IT'S STILL THERE! WHY IS IT STILL THERE!?"
Bell Cranel was currently reaching speeds a Level 1 shouldn't be physically capable of.
His lungs felt like they were filled with hot coals, and his vision was vibrating, but the thundering BOOM-BOOM-BOOM of hooves behind him was a very effective motivator.
[Oh, he's really hauling it now,] the System's voice echoed—not in Bell's head, but in Yuuya's, who was currently several floors below. [Heart rate is at 180. Adrenaline levels are off the charts. If he runs any faster, he might actually evolve into a literal rabbit.]
"NOT HELPING, SYSTEM!" Bell shrieked breaking the 4th wall at the empty air, nearly tripping himself over a stray rock in the process.
He lunged around a corner, his boots skidding.
He saw a group of Level 1 adventurers from another Familia.
They saw the Minotaur.
They saw Bell.
They immediately turned and ran in the opposite direction without saying a single word.
"WAIT! TAKE ME WITH YOU!" Bell sobbed, but the Minotaur let out a particularly wet, angry snort that sent a spray of snot onto the back of Bell's neck.
"EW! GROSS! GUYS DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! PLEASE I NEED YOU GUYS!"
"You guys heard nothing... right?" One person in the group said.
"Yup."
"Yup, absolutely nothing."
"It must've been the wind."
Back to Yuuya.
After a little bit more of rest, Yuuya finally decided to head back up.
Currently, he is on the 16th floor and one things for sure. He is taking his sweet, sweet time.
Yuuya was currently crouched in a dark corner of a damp corridor, his helmet tilted at a 45° degree angle. He was currently poking a rock with a stick he'd found all the way back on the 18th floor.
'System, look at this. It's glowing. But it's like... a pulsing purple glow. Is this a Magic Stone or did a monster just have a really radioactive bowel movement?'
[Yuuya—Bell is currently being chased by a two-ton steak with anger issues. He is literally screaming his soul out. Do you want the live audio feed? It's mostly high-pitched whistling and sobbing.]
'He's fine,' Yuuya muttered, reaching out a gauntleted finger to tap the purple rock. 'You said his health bar is still green. If it turns yellow, tell me. But look at this! If I bring this to Hestia, she'll think it's a jewel. We could probably trade this for like, a lifetime supply of those potato snacks.'
[It is a Phosphorescent Moss-Covered Pebble, Yuuya. It's worth approximately twelve Valis. You have two million in your pocket.]
'Twelve Valis is twelve Valis! Don't judge my hustle.' Yuuya stood up, tucked the pebble into a pouch, and checked his internal map. 'Okay, okay, I'm moving. How's the Rabbit doing?'
[He just tried to climb a wall. He failed. He is now running in a circle. It's actually quite impressive—he's accidentally kiting the Minotaur into a knot.]
Back to the 5th floor.
Bell was cornered. Again.
He had run into a dead end chamber filled with nothing but damp moss and the mocking silence of the Dungeon.
He spun around, his back hitting the wall, holding his shortsword in front of him like a holy relic.
The Minotaur entered the room, its massive frame blocking the only exit.
It lowered its head, the horns scraping against the ceiling, and let out a low, rumbling growl that made Bell's knees turn to jelly.
"Okay... okay... Yuuya-bro said... stay calm..." Bell whispered, his hands shaking so hard the sword was rattling against his armor. "He said... wait for the opening... but the opening is currently blocked by a giant cow!"
The Minotaur pawed the ground.
"I'm sorry I called you a cow!" Bell yelled. "You're a very handsome bull! Please go away!"
The Minotaur charged. Again.
"YUUYAAAAA—!"
Back to Yuuya.
He is currently standing in front of a vending machine-or the Dungeon equivalent: a rare item chest.
'System, I swear I saw the lid move. If there's a Mimic in here, I'm gonna be so tilted.'
[Yuuya. The Rabbit. The Minotaur. The imminent death. Does any of this ring a bell? He just apologized to the monster. He's losing his mind.]
'He's building character! You can't buy this kind of experience,' Yuuya said, though he did start jogging toward the stairs. 'Fine, fine. I'm moving at "Light Jog" speed. Tell him to use the 'Wall-Kick' thing I showed him.'
[He tried. He hit his head. He's currently laying on the floor while the Minotaur prepares a finishing blow.]
Yuuya stopped. 'Wait, for real?'
[No, he's still running. But he did hit his head. It was hilarious.]
'You're a cruel AI, you know that-'
[Oh look! Another chest!]
"WHERE—!?"
Back to the 5th Floor
Bell was cornered for real this time. He has nowhere else to go. His weapon is intact for sure, but he already witness it doing absolutely nothing to the minotaur.
'Am I really gonna die here?' Thought Bell.
The minotaur winding up for a strike.
Bell closed his eyes, bracing for the impact.
'Sorry mom, I cannot become a hero. Sorry grandpa, I didn't manage to save a girl in a dungeon.'
(Wallahi he's cooked.)
He could smell the musk, the sweat, and the impending doom.
But what follows isn't something he expected.
SILENCE.
There was no impact. Instead, there was a sound like a harp string snapping—a high-speed whistle of wind followed by a sickening squelch.
Followed by him being drenched in the minotaurs blood.
Bell opened one eye.
A girl was standing in front of him. She had hair like liquid gold and eyes that looked like a sunset. She has some blood of the Minotaur on her face, which was currently dissolving into ash at her feet. She looked like a goddess of war, cool and indifferent.
"Are you... okay?" Ais asked, her voice soft and airy.
Bell didn't answer. He couldn't. His brain had officially exited the building. He just stared at her, his face turning a shade of red that rivaled a tomato.
And then, he did the only logical thing a protagonist could do in that situation.
He turned around and bolted into the darkness, screaming at the top of his lungs.
And that, is how Bell meets Ais.
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