A somewhat rushed chapter, so we can get to the interesting part in the next one.
//
It was early in the morning when Luki woke up. The room around him was unfamiliar, but utilizing his spatial awareness, he quickly mapped the building. In separate rooms nearby, he could sense Lili and Miach, both still sound asleep.
As he sat up in bed, the morning fog in his mind gradually cleared, and the memories of the previous night flooded back.
Luki and Lili had spent the majority of the banquet entirely in their own little world, acting like a genuine couple. It was something Luki felt an obligation to provide, and something Lili thoroughly took pleasure in enjoying.
The hospitality of the Loki Familia was truly... memorable. Although neither of them had touched a single drop of alcohol, the sheer intensity of the lively atmosphere was enough to leave them drained—socially, at least, in Luki's case, since exhaustion was a foreign concept to him.
At some point, the two had retreated to their rooms. Lili had fiercely opposed the arrangement, desperately wanting to sleep together, but Luki had managed to resist her advances. He had also used the opportunity to carry Miach back, as the god had already collapsed limp on the floor from too much Lokiness.
'Speaking of Miach, that guy is definitely in for a massive lecture once Naaza starts questioning him.'
Either way, life had to move on. After waking the others and going through their usual morning routines, it was time for them to head out and attend to their daily duties.
Before they left, Finn approached them with a parting gift—a beautifully crafted silver knife. Ah, the wonders of a fantasy world, where handing out deadly weapons counts as a standard courtesy gift. It was Finn's way of apologizing for not receiving them properly the day before and for essentially keeping them trapped in the overwhelming party.
Throughout the entire goodbye, however, Luki could feel the presence of a certain red-eyed white rabbit snooping around. Bell's emotions and yearnings were as clear as crystal to him.
From what Luki could piece together, at some point, he had somehow become the focal point for Bell's Liaris Frese. He can already feel the headache coming, but is problem to the future Luki.
To avoid the tedious task of carrying a Pallum and a god with massive hangover through several city blocks, Luki simply grabbed hold of them and used his teleportation magic. Appearing right in front of the Blue Pharmacy.
Luki quickly deposited the wrecked god inside, sensing Naaza approaching, and hastily scribbled a short note explaining the situation, left it by Miach's side, and teleported away as fast as possible. There was absolutely no way he was staying behind to catch a stray lecture meant for someone else.
To avoid making the same mistake as yesterday, Luki promptly searched for a place to spend the night, preferably somewhere reliable and of decent quality.
It didn't take him long to find a nice, cozy spot. Luki immediately used the little money they had left to rent two single-bed rooms for a few weeks, with three daily meals included.
And with that, they were officially broke, down to their very last coin.
Luki sat down, deep in thought, internally questioning how to proceed from there.
He clearly needed to head into the Dungeon and make some quick cash, but certain situations were holding him back. Meanwhile, the Blue Pharmacy was barely bringing in enough for Naaza and Miach to pay off their massive debts and live with proper dignity.
Ideally, they needed a completely new source of income. But what could they do? It wasn't as if Luki had been anyone remarkable in his past life; his professional knowledge from back then would be utterly useless in a world without computers and the internet.
However, before Luki could delve any deeper into those thoughts, he heard Hestia's voice echoing directly inside his head.
'Luki, if you really need to go back to that hole so badly, you have my blessing,' her warm, understanding voice resonated through his mind.
'Hestia? I thought I was grounded,' Luki replied mentally, caught off guard.
'And you are! However, I can collect your punishment in other ways. It feels wrong of me to trap you like this when I'm not even there to pull your ears myself.'
'You can still totally do that from up there, though.'
As if to confirm his statement, Luki suddenly felt the distinct sensation of hands tugging at his ear-wings. There was no actual physical pressure, just a vivid phantom sensation.
'Yes, I can! Hehehe~ Now go on, you dummy, before I change my mind."
'Hestia... thank you. You know that if I could, I would never disobey you.'
'I know, my dear. I know...'
The connection snapped shut, leaving Luki pondering over how remarkably sweet Hestia had seemed just now. Perhaps the encounter they had shared in his dream earlier today had done something to her, or who knows what else.
Either way, Luki used his Blink magic to retrieve his inconveniently large sword, and then went to talk to Lili.
"Are you... really sure about this, Luki-sama?" Lili asked, her voice tinged with a subtle, anxious edge as she looked up at him. "Going back to the Dungeon so soon... it just worries me a bit."
"Don't worry, Lili, it's going to be fine this time. I have my sword, many suvival-oriented skills, and enough experience now to handle whatever that place throws at me. Plus, with my teleportation, I can get out whenever I want. Those walls can't trap me anymore."
Lili still looked slightly concerned, but his confidence clearly eased her mind. She chewed her lower lip for a second before looking at him with determined eyes. "In that case... can Lili come along with you?"
Luki shook his head gently. "I think it'd be better if you stayed back this time. I can move faster and handle things much better on my own."
"But you would make way more profit with a supporter by your side, Luki-sama. An adventurer shouldn't waste time carving magic stones when they could be fighting."
"And how are you going to do that? You don't have your massive backpack anymore. You don't even have a way to harvest the monster parts."
A sly smile played on Lili's lips. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the silver knife Finn had gifted them earlier, spinning it lightly in her hand. "Lili has this now. And as for a bag, I can just grab one of our regular clothing sacks for now. We can always buy a proper one later once we make some money."
Luki stared at her for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. Her practical thinking was hard to argue against, and having her along would indeed maximize their gains.
He let out a resigned but amused sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, you win. Grab the sack, let's go."
Lili quickly moved around the room to get ready. She grabbed one of their empty sacks, slipped the knife inside, and used a piece of cord to tie the whole makeshift kit securely around her waist.
Once she nodded to indicate she was good to go, Luki placed a hand on her shoulder and activated his magic, teleported them both away.
"Ugh... please, a warning next time, Luki-sama..." Lili groaned, stumbling slightly as her feet hit solid ground. She pressed a hand to her forehead, her eyes spinning as she tried to shake off the sudden wave of nausea. "Lili's head feels like it's turning inside out..."
"I still don't get why you always react like that, Ais-san looked just fine," Luki commented, looking entirely unfazed. "And to me, it doesn't feel like anything at all."
"That is because absolutely nobody is as weird and abnormal as Luki-sama! And that blond doll doesn't count." Lili shot back, huffing as she slowly blinked the dizziness away.
As her vision finally cleared, she took a look at their surroundings, expecting to see the towering structure of Babel or the busy plaza leading to the Dungeon. To her utter surprise, they were nowhere near it.
"Wait... why are we standing outside the Hostess of Fertility?" Lili questioned, tilting her head as she stared at the familiar tavern. "Luki-sama, I thought we were heading straight to the Dungeon."
"We are," Luki replied, turning his gaze toward the tavern door. "But we have someone else joining our party from now on."
Without giving away any more details, he pushed the heavy wooden doors open and stepped inside. The tavern was operating casually, the warm morning air filled with the familiar scents of hearty food and cheap ale. It didn't take long for the staff to notice his arrival.
"Oh, look! It's Luki-nya and Lili-nya!" Anya chirped, nearly dropping a tray of clean glasses as her cat ears twitched happily. "Are you here to help with the morning rush, Lili-nya?"
"Lili still has to discuss her work schedule with Mia-mama," Lili replied with a smile, feeling right at home among her future co-workers.
Chloe sneaked up from behind the counter, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "If you're not here to work, Luki, did you come back just because you missed my lovely face?"
"In your dreams, Chloe," Lunor scoffed, passing by with a stack of plates. "Don't bother them. So, what brings you two here so early, Luki?"
Syr wiped her hands on her apron and stepped forward, offering them her usual gentle smile. "Is everything alright, Luki? You look like you're on a mission."
"Everything is fine, Syr," Luki answered politely, making sure to keep his voice low so he wouldn't disrupt the flow of the tavern. "I don't want to get in the way of your work, girls. I just wanted to know if Ryuu-san is available right now?"
"Ryuu? She should be somewhere around the back or upstairs cleaning the rooms. Just go ahead and look for her yourself, we're a bit busy here."
The rest of the girls threw a few more casual words of encouragement their way before quickly returning to their morning duties, leaving the tavern bustling with its usual lively energy.
Turning away from the main dining area, he loosened his hold on his supernatural senses to scan the building.
"She's upstairs. Let's go."
They walked up the creaking wooden stairs and stopped right in front of Ryuu's room. But just as Luki raised his hand, about to knock, the door swung open from the other side.
Instead of her usual casual clothes or her green tavern uniform, Ryuu was fully dressed in her battle attire, her signature light green cloak over a dark, sleeveless combat vest, form-fitting shorts, and protective boots designed for high mobility.
"Oh, Luki-san, Lili-chan. Do you need something?"
"Hey, Ryuu-san. Going somewhere?" Luki asked, gesturing to her gear.
"Not particularly. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Lili and I are about to head into the Dungeon to make some quick cash since, well... we are completely broke. And I wanted to know if you'd like to tag along... you told me to do that, remember?"
Ryuu stood completely still for a few moments, simply staring at them with her sharp, blue eyes. Luki felt a slight wave of discomfort washing over him under her intense gaze, but he chose not to comment on it.
During his period of rest after returning from his previous Dungeon incident, Ryuu had confronted him. She had firmly stated that whenever he planned to go back down there, he should always call her. If she was free, she would join his party.
Luki didn't exactly know the deeper reason behind her demand. To be precise, he felt like he should remember why, but even his supernatural memory couldn't help him piece together details from a conversation he simply hadn't paid enough attention to.
He hadn't planned on calling her so soon, but since Lili had insisted on joining this time without any proper equipment, it was definitely a case of better safe than sorry.
"Excellent. I was also thinking about paying a short visit to the Dungeon myself."
Without waiting for a reply, she stepped back into her room, grabbed something from her table, and returned to them.
This time, she was holding her trusted wooden weapon—the Alfs Lumina, a beautifully crafted wooden sword that didn't look like a conventional blade but was incredibly lethal in her hands.
"Thank you so much for joining us today, Ryuu-san! With your help, everything will definitely be fine!" Lili said excitedly, her eyes practically sparkling as she looked up at the elf.
Ryuu, in turn, looked down at her and gave a small, slight nod, looking as apathetic and stoic as always. Lili didn't mind her cold demeanor at all; she already knew her friend's personality inside and out.
People say that we naturally attach ourselves to those who help us, let alone someone who saves our life. But Lili acted especially animated around Ryuu.
The reason for this was simple: Ryuu was the one who had rescued Lili from that dark, terrifying day in the Dungeon, bringing her back up to the surface to be safely treated by Soma.
Because of that, Ryuu was almost like an idol to Lili. She saw in the elf everything she had ever dreamed of becoming one day—a strong, respected, and famous female adventurer. Even though Lili herself had already given up on that dream long ago.
"Alright, I can take us straight to Babel in an instant," Luki said, drawing their attention back to the task at hand. "For that, I need you to hold onto me. So... Ryuu...?" Luki extended his hand forward for her to take.
Elves were notoriously famous for their deep aversion to unnecessary physical contact. Ryuu was extremely traditional in that aspect of her heritage, which usually made forming close bonds with her a massive challenge.
True to form, she didn't take his hand.
"I am sorry, Luki," she said, addressing him without using any honorifics after his name, which was a rare occurrence for her. "Please do not take offense. I consider you a great friend, and I do not want that to change. But I do not think I am ready to engage in that type of physical closeness with you so casually just yet."
By the way she spoke—using such a long, formal sentence just to explain herself—anyone passing by might have mistakenly thought Luki had just confessed his love to her.
"Okay," Luki agreed without making a big fuss about it. Although the two of them had touched each other once or twice during hectic situations in the past, he wasn't about to press her over something so trivial. "Let's walk, then."
With their party of three officially formed, they headed down the stairs, said a quick goodbye to the rest of the staff, and stepped out of the tavern, making their way on foot through the bustling streets toward the towering monument of Babel.
As they approached the Guild building nearby, Ryuu pulled her hood down further and adjusted her mask, as if trying to completely vanish from the world.
Although Ouranos had stated that he would clear Ryuu's name and status as a fugitive, nothing happens overnight. It was far better to maintain this cautious behavior just to avoid any unnecessary inconveniences.
Stepping inside the main hall of the Guild, the place was completely packed and buzzing with chaotic energy. It wasn't just filled with adventurers waiting for their turns, but also staff members rushing back and forth in a frantic hurry.
"Wow... everyone seems incredibly motivated today, huh?" Luki commented dryly, instinctively pinning his wings closer to his body to avoid getting bumped by the crowd.
Scanning the crowded hall for a few seconds, Luki managed to spot Eina. She was currently buried under a massive line of other adventurers, and it was clear it would take a considerable amount of time before it was their turn.
"You two can go ahead and wait over there. I just need to exchange a few quick words with my advisor, and then we can head out."
Both girls nodded in agreement and walked over to find a seat near the large windows, leaving Luki to wait by himself in the long, slow-moving line.
As Luki waited his turn, he could hear Eina's calm, professional voice carrying over the counter, handling each adventurer with practiced efficiency.
"I am sorry, Mr. Davis, but the client's request for one hundred kilograms of skeleton monster bones was already fulfilled late last night by another party. If you prefer, we can connect you with another client who might be interested in purchasing your current stash, or you can simply deposit them directly to the Guild for standard pricing."
"Next, please. Ah, Mr. Kahn. Regarding your party's inquiry, the records show your group has not yet reached the recommended power threshold to safely navigate the Middle Floors without proper insurance. It would be far more beneficial for your party to remain on the eleventh and twelfth floors for now, focusing on acquiring better equipment and accumulating more Excelia."
"Next. Welcome back, Mr. Luan. Let me examine these... unfortunately, these are standard goblin monster parts, not the higher-grade drops. Furthermore, the extraction process you used has severely degraded the quality of the material. The Guild cannot accept these at premium value the quest said, but I can offer you a slightly lower, adjusted price for the bulk."
"Next, please. Yes, I have the maps for the fourth through the sixth floors right here. We offer the basic models, featuring the five most common layout changes, or the advanced versions that incorporate the estimated zones where specific monsters are most likely to spawn. The individual price for the basic blueprint is..."
It was the first time Luki had ever seen Eina working like this, so focused and efficient. He had only met with her formally a few times—enough to count on his two hands—and during all of those encounters, she had always been incredibly attentive and helpful.
Perhaps the sheer fact that the Guild was packed to the brim today had forced her to adopt a more detached, professional attitude.
Seeing her like this made Luki reconsider how he should approach her, wanting to be as brief as possible so as not to inconvenience the long line of adventurers waiting behind him.
When his turn finally arrived, Luki stepped up to the counter. "Good morning, Eina-san."
Eina looked up from her paperwork, a flash of mild surprise crossing her features before she quickly smoothed her expression. "Ah, Luki-san. Good morning."
"The place looks quite chaotic today, doesn't it?" Luki commented, glancing around the bustling hall.
"You have no idea," Eina replied, dropping her strict professional posture for just a brief moment to wipe a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. "The recent legislative changes introduced by Ouranos-sama have completely altered how the Guild operates as both a support agency for adventurers and as the caretakers of the city. Everyone is scrambling to keep everything in order. It is a massive headache, to be honest."
She offered him an apologetic look, her eyes tracking the long line behind him. "I am truly sorry, Luki-san, but I cannot engage in casual conversation today. There are still so many adventurers who need my consultancy. Could we perhaps get straight to the point?"
"Of course. I just wanted to know if there are any recent or news about the that I should be aware of before descending. Also, I was hoping you could recommend a specific floor where I could make some quick, reliable cash."
Eina's eyes widened slightly, her voice raising a fraction higher than intended. "You are going back to the Dungeon already?!"
"Yeah..." Luki rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish. "I know it's a bit early and I probably should take a longer break, but I desperately need the money right now."
A look of deep concern washed over Eina's face. "Luki-san, I worry for something like what happened during your last descent occurs again..."
"Don't worry, I assure you it's going to be completely different this time. I have a very strong companion helping me out today. Besides, my new patron granted me some skills that will make things much safer."
That wasn't the actual source of his confidence, of course, but he couldn't exactly blurt out the truth in a crowded place like this. He simply said whatever was necessary to put Eina's mind at ease.
"Your new deity..." Eina muttered, tapping her chin as she remembered something. She quickly pulled out a blank parchment from a drawer. "Right, you need to fill out an official document to formalize this change in your status."
Luki immediately groaned, slumping his shoulders. "Can't we do that some other time? I'm on a tight schedule, and like you said, there is a massive crowd waiting right behind me."
Eina frowned, staring at the document and then at the endless line. While it was technically against the rules to delay the paperwork, she realized that taking the time to process it right now would only stall the line further.
"Alright," she sighed, sliding the parchment back into the drawer. "I will be lenient just this once. But you must fill it out the moment you return."
"Thank you, Eina-san! You're a lifesaver."
Eina shook her head with an amused smile and pulled out a map. "Now, regarding the current situation, there really are some new things you should know about..."