'After running away from the Macho group, Silver made his way towards one of the entrances to the 16Th floor.'

"This place should be enough." He said as he gazed at the stairs leading up

No monsters spawn on this Level, only the Boss.

And I can perfectly see the way to the 16Th floor from here. So if a monster or person appears, I will be able to act on time.

"First, let's go back home."

'His hand transformed, and many strange patterns appeared on it.'

/Crack!/

'The floor started to morph, slowly rising.'

'It slowly took the shape of an object, a door.'

/Crook.../

'He opened the stone door, preparing himself for the brunt caused by Mind depletion...'

"Arg… My head."

'After taking a step into the other side, he collapsed on his bed once again.'

"Mission complete…"

…

"COOOCKORICOOOO!!!"

"... Eh?"

'Silver was woken up by the stupidity loud sound made by the rosters kept around Orario.'

"The churches… The people… Now even the animals… My ears are being constantly harassed by objects, people, and animals!"

"... Sniff! Urg… I smell of blood and sweat."

Let me take a shower first and…

/Crack!/

"ARG!"

MY back!

This time, I slept in an even worse position than last time...

"What a terrible way to wake up…"

'Silver's hand turned green as he healed his own body.'

"Phew... I felt like an old man doing this."

"Much better."

…

/Clink... Clang... Clong.../

'Silver took out his heavy armor and created a mirror using his abilities.'

'It's nothing fancy, just a thin column of ice.'

"I look like crap… Bloodied and dirty… I can't go down in this state…"

Not even because of the blood and all, but mostly because of how I am going to explain this situation?

I can't say I just passed by the Inn owner every time.

'Using his powers, he filled the bathtub in his room slowly.'

(N0)

"Harf… Harf… It took an absurd amount of Mind just to fill one bathtub worth of water… I still have a long way to go."

In the glory days... Stop... I am not an old man anymore.

"First I will scrub my body and then enter the tub."

…

"Now to heat it up."

/Crackle.../

'His left hand turned red and the air seemed to distort around due to the heat.'

'A small red rock formed on his hand, and he dropped it into the tub.'

/Splash!/

/Sizzle.../

'After the water bubbled a little, it was time for Silver to enter.'

"Ahhhh…"

Finally. I can relax.

/Gulp!/

'He drank a blue potion to recover some of his spent Mind and relaxed in the bathtub.'

…

'With new clothes and a good-looking face, it was time to sit down and take a look at his equipment.'

'Silver removed them from his inventory and checked their state.'

"This could be worse."

My large sword was slightly chipped in some places, but it's quite simple to fix.

"But I don't have time, I can pay a smith to do it."

The Mk 3 magic sword looked as if it was about to break apart. In fact, a pice just fell off.

"Looks like the pressure was too much for it to bear… Seems it's time to move on to the next prototype."

'The Mk 4 magic sword!'

"...Only when I acquire a forge that is."

Lastly, but not least, there was a pair of gloves and boots made out of fur with some metal on them. They were very comfortable to the touch. Dropped by none other than...

"The Goliath… Drops?"

Interesting.

'Apart from those, there were also several pieces of what he determined to be his shield.'

"Sigh. Rest in peace. For now, I need to buy a replacement since I don't have a forge to make a new one."

'He placed the shield on the side and rested his head on the wood.'

"Sigh... But no normal drops… Fuck my terrible luck. All of that for this? A pair of boots and Gloves?..."

Not like I was fighting the Goliath for money… But still.

"Perhaps I can sell them? As a super rare item?"

First I need to classify its Level... Is this a Level 2 piece of armor? Or could it be Level 3?

"But how much are they worth?"

Forget it. This is already better than I could hope for.

"As for my armor…"

Everything was damaged somewhat.

"The chest piece is pretty much irreparable, everything else is somewhat fixable… But that isn't worth it."

Perhaps there is a blacksmith out there that can fix it. But the question is the price and the time.

"The cost for a new armor vs the cost to fix this armor..."

I will look for a blacksmith for now, but if I don't find one, I will buy a new set when I join a Familia…

"If only I could control metal… Then fixing this quickly and cheaply might be possible."

With my current abilities and knowledge at least...

But metal control is too costly to perform with my current Mind.

…

/Creaak/

'Silver left his room and went downstairs.'

'The smell of baked bread filled Siver's nostrils… This is the closest place he had to a home in Orario.'

"Hum? Welcome! Would you like a drink or… It's you! How is it that you always find a way to pass through my eyes?" Said the Innkeeper

"Hey boss. Mind cooking me something? I am starving here…"

"Sit down and wait. I will make you some breakfast!..."

"But I am curious. How is it that you always manage to pass me and enter the Inn without me noticing?!"

"... Didn't I tell you already? You just didn't see me..."

"…"

...

/15 minutes later.../

"So tell me. How did it go?" Asked the Innkeeper

"Chomp… Nothing out of the ordinary… Chomp… I just went to the middle floors and returned."

"Chomp… Can you pass me the napkin?... Thanks."

"But we did meet with some trouble but we met some adventurers and rode on their backs till the surface."

'Silver told him a fabricated story if you didn't realize.'

He asked me this because I warned him about my adventure a few days prior to going to the Dungeon.

After living in the inn for close to a month he kind of became my friend.

"You guys were lucky, most of the time, in this sort of situation, you end up losing someone."

"Yeah."

…

'After eating, Silver went back to his room since he wasn't in the mood to walk around Orario.'

'He laid down on be as he thought about his future.'

"I think I have a pretty decent idea of how strong I am and where my abilities currently stand within Orario. It's time to look for a Familia... One week, I will enter a Familia this very week."

What are my options?

"Loki is a no-go… I don't really want to enter a big Familia and work in a group..."

Sigh. Who am I kidding? Loki is definitely a good choice… Refusing to work in a group will only lead to my downfall…

Loki has everything that I need and more.

"But there is still some time until they open up their gates for new recruits… If I remember correctly, they do that in the middle of January. One month from now."

"Hephaestus seems to be a good option… I would gain a forge and potentially access to techniques and tutelage from high-Level masters."

"Blacksmiths also have a lot of influence due to their contracts with high-Level adventurers. But I would have to focus more on handcraft other than combat…"

And to be honest, although I love to craft items... I love the feeling of adventuring into the unknown very much... Even more so when I find some loot... That's my favorite part.

"Takemikazuchi? His main purpose in Orario is to gather money, not really development since he is a God from the far east and he would most likely leave after he gathers enough money and finds Haruhime, and that's another problem."

"I know where she is, and I am sure he may catch on to something suspicious if I spend too much time with him…"

(I don't remember if he knows if she is even there in the first place… I think he would only find out about that later)

"Demeter is a God of harvest and as one, her Familia is an agricultural one…"

So she isn't really that suitable.

"Hermes's motives are too crazy, in fact, he may even refuse to be my God in order to make some plan possible."

He is more of a Chaotic good character...

"Hercules?... Jesus christ..."

'Somewhere far away, a happy long-haired man sneezed'

There are many new Gods in the mortal world, you could say one descends every week, but I don't know their personalities. Nor am I willing to bet, I only have one shot at this.

"Hestia just seems like the better option, to be honest. She is caring and has connections."

"She may be a bit annoying but that is only because she cares."

"Hestia may be like that but she isn't possessive. She "allowed" Bell to pursue Ais so he could grow after all."

"But she isn't really a choice. I am two years too early."

"... Grandparents Família?... No… They told me to stay away from them…"

I don't even know who they are in the first place.

…

'Silver brainstormed for a while before deciding that either Hephaestus and Loki were the better options that he currently had.'

'But since he placed a timer of one week, he planned to research multiple Gods before making his final decision. Perhaps he will remember something important and change his decision…'

'If not, he will apply for either the Loki or Hephaestus Familia.'

/Poof/

'Silver slammed his head on the pillow and went to sleep.'

...

'The days passed and Silver acted according to the plan.'

'He went around Orario researching and inquiring about many Familias in order to find the perfect one for him.'

'He asked the Guild for help, normal adventurers for help, and Mama mia in the Pub.'

'Their answers varied, "choose one with strong members", "choose one with a lot of money"... In the end, Silver just decided to stick with the one he just feel most comfortable with.'

"I tried to ask for something more "tangible", but Mama mia just laughed and slapped my back, telling me to figure the rest on my own while the Guild offered me the guide on the many Gods in Orario."

Both were helpful in their own ways.

'Silver looked around, noticing how some of the adventurers seemed tired, not all. At the start, he thought it was normal, but their numbers seem to be increasing...'

During the week, I couldn't help but notice some strange atmosphere around Orario, some adventurers looked vigilant as if they were looking for someone.

Did a big crime happen? One I am not even aware of?

That is unlikely since I went to the Guild only a few days ago. Nor did I hear any rumor…

Unless it happened yesterday...

No matter.

'During his search, Silver couldn't help but exclaim at the massive number of Gods and Familias in Orario.'

'Normally you can't really notice it, since the Gods remain hidden. But when you know how to look...'

"Well, those adventurers in the Dungeon are being blessed by some God..."

Among them, there were several good Familias I could enter. Like Leto and Nephthys Familias.

(I never showcased the Nephthys Familia, you aren't crazy.)

Although I didn't manage to choose a Familia, my choices did increase.

It's not only the Goddesses from the original story anymore.

"Sigh…"

'Silver sat on a bench at a small park somewhere close to the Guild.'

"I can't take this anymore, I need to rest…" Said someone on the side

/Poft!/

'A man wearing some light armor sat on the vacant space next to Silver.'

'Silver looked at the man and he looked back at Silver.'

'His eyes had dark circles in a similar way as to Silver.'

"Heh… Rough day?" Asked Silver

"Don't even begin. I have been doing this fucked mission for the past several days but to no avail."

'Silver looked around, but he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.'

'Appart from the tires adventuers.'

"Sorry for the intrusion, but there doesn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary around here. Are you on patrol or something?"

"... Didn't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"It's quite recent… But a strange rumor has spread among the Gods, something rather uncommon happened in the middle floors."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like this man. Some days ago, the Loki and Hercules Familia reported a new form to the Monster Rex on the 17Th floor."

"..."

So they reported it... I expected that somewhat.

"Supposedly, the Goliath equips a pair of boots and gloves to fight the person. Dropping them if you are successful… This isn't necessarily rare, as such things happen every few years."

"But this one is different, since when the Guild went to investigate, a few days later they found out that this sort of transformation only happens when a normal person challenges the Goliath. This info has created some waves in the Guild."

"But… But how did the Guild confirm this?"

"I don't know. They just said that it was real. It's most likely true though, I don't see any reason for them to lie about that."

Why didn't I hear of this? I can't be too focused to even notice this right?...

"Although most Familias were skeptical of such information, mine just happened to be among the ones who actually believed this… Hence, here I am"

"My condolences…"

"Such a thing happens from time to time, every single significant high-level adventurer had their own spotlight days after all… Even the Sword princess had her embarrassing moment because of Loki-Sama. Perhaps we are seeing yet another one rising?"

"This might very well be another one of Loki-Sama jokes? If that's the case then my resentment for this guy goes down a little... Just a little."

"Perhaps. But how are you going to identify him?"

"They told me he wears red armor and a white scarf, but come on! Everyone is wearing scarfs in this cold!... Sorry for screaming... I might be getting too tired… I have been awake for two days already…"

I am actually wearing that same white scarf... I am sorry dude.

"Damn…"

"I am tired…" X2

/Bing bong bing bong.../

'The church bells started to toll, indicating it was 12 Am.'

"FINALLY!... Cough… My shift just ended. I will go home to sleep. Thanks for talking with me, I needed to vent a little… Until next time my guy…" He said as he left

'They would never meet again...'

…

"..."

'Silver stayed put on his seat, thinking about what he just heard.'

"This was…"

A terrible revelation.

First things first, my identity seems to be safe. No one saw my face unless one of those guys had X-ray vision…

But come on. Why am I attracting so much attention?

I must be missing something...

Things probably went like this:

I defeated the strange Goliath under the eyes of the Hercules Familia.

They reported the fight to the executives of the Loki Familia on site.

They made their way to the surface.

Loki received their report about this phenomenon, making her question the origin of the change.

She must've asked for my appearance, but no one knew who I was

So she went to report to the Guild.

And together, they came to the conclusion that I was a new adventurer, or at least had suspicions. I think I once heard a rumor of a Level 2 adventurer challenging Goliath alone… But I don't know the end result.

So from their perspective, I was at least lower or equal to a Level 2. But it isn't difficult to imagine that a Level 1 wouldn't incur such a reaction from Goliath.

And …

Why are the Gods looking for me? Was it because of the Guild?

Are they truly looking for me to recruit me?

Or are they looking for something else?... It seems to be too much work to look for a person. I don't even have a bounty on my head…

"My head hurts..."

…

/Somewhere in Babel…/

'There was a woman sitting in a chair with a wine cup in her hand, gazing into Orario from the glass panel in front of her.'

"How was it?" Said a sensual female voice

'From behind her, a man with a pair of Boar ears appeared. he was very tall and muscular.'

"We still didn't find him, after asking many adventures of the Loki and Hercules Familia we came to the conclusion his armor broke. So he might be somewhere fixing it."

"Unfortunately after one day of inquiry, the Loki Familia made efforts to stop us from getting info from their members."

"...Loki… Do you think you can still get in my way? How cute."

"We learned a little bit more from the Hercules Familia, they believed he was quite young due to the way he talked and by the sound of his voice. And we have suspicions he is the one being talked about in the recent rumors."

"As for his overall appearance, he wore a…"

...

'The man started to tell the woman everything he knew.'

'Upon hearing this, her purple eyes seemed to shine with a mystical light.'

A white scarf?...

Could they be…

'She smiled sweetly. Her smile captivating...'

I will need to confirm this later...

"My my… Things are getting better… And better..."

"No matter where you are. I will find you… Kukuku…"

…

/BANG!/

"THAT BITCH THINKS SHE CAN DO WHATEVER SHE WANTS?! FINE! LET ME SHOW HER… Mumph!"

'Loki was screaming in frustration when Riveria came from behind her and placed her hands on her mouth.'

"Anger isn't going to lead us anywhere." She said

"...Ha...I am calm… Rivi… Please…"

'Riveria looked at Loki and released her.'

"That whore is always sticking her nose in everything... I need a drink…"

"No you don't."

"..."

"Anyway. Did you guys find the man with the white scarf?"

At least that...

"Unfortunately no."

"Tsk! First, we have this rookie causing trouble for us, and now the white scarf boy has disappeared to who knows where… I can't let either fall on the hands of that Onahole…"

If that is what I think it is...

'Riveria put her hands on Loki's mouth again.'

"Language."

"Rivi…"

…

'Riveria finally left the room leaving Loki alone.'

'Loki was now alone in her room'

'Her eyes opened slightly as she gazed at the window. She was looking straight towards Babel, as if she was looking at someone.'

"..."

I can't let that bitch get her hands on the item… It would be game over.

And now someone interesting popped out of nowhere… It would be good if he entered my Familia, but at the very least I can't let that bitch get her hands on him…

"And my plan isn't working… ARG!... I need a drink to calm down first…"

I guess it was bound to fail... It was a shot in the dark anyway.

'She opened a cabinet but…'

"WHERE IS MY LIMITED EDITION SOMA WINE?!?!"

…

.

.

.