…

Daedalus Street is a wide residential area for the poor located between Orario's east and southeast Main Streets.

It was designed by an eccentric man known as Daedalus 1000 years ago and it's complex due to the disorganized architecture of the place.

It is rumored that one will never find their way out once they enter, and is often called the other dungeon.

"And that isn't really an exaggeration as there is indeed another 'Dungeon' here. Although, the term isn't referring to that..."

The Man-Made Dungeon Knossos, more commonly known as Knossos, is an artificial underground labyrinth that connects the Dungeon and Daedalus Street, effectively serving as a second entrance to the dungeon.

"Not really second since there used to be another entrance in Melen that was sealed by the Zeus Familia."

There might be other entrances, although it's unlikely.

The Dungeon is a special construct, so the best way to see its overall shape would be to think of a pyramid.

The lower you go, the wider and bigger each floor gets.

"According to Hestia, no matter how much you dig, you wouldn't be able to reach the Dungeon, otherwise, other kingdoms could easily dig their own entrances and there would be no need to rely on Orario for magic stones."

This would also cause trouble in the creation of sewers and underground mines and other things.

In a sense, the Dungeon exists in a separate space, the only way of accessing it is through one of its entrances. That's why most kingdoms envy and desire Orario for themselves since there is only one entrance left.

They could try digging and use some strange magic to breach into the Dungeon like my own Plasmids...

Although, if those far away kingdoms tried and managed to breach into the Dungeon, they would most likely reach a super deep floor… I can't imagine how deep a floor would have to be so that it was big enough to extend from Orario all the way to one of those Kingdoms…

"If I am not mistaken, the lake on the 27Th floor connects with the one in Melen... That already very big, imagine something like the 70-80Th floors?"

Since floors tend to have Babel as the center, they usually have a circular shape, but that can change since it's up to the Dungeon.

However, the layout will usually take Babel as the center.

And this brings us to Daedalus. He somehow found a way to breach the strange magic of the Dungeon and create his own functional one.

It can spawn monsters and it functions like the normal Dungeon… I would be more than happy if I could have a deep talk with the engineers of Knossos and learn their craft.

Although they seem to be evil and even slightly mad in a sense…

Sigh… I guess being forced to work on a 1000-year-old project is indeed taxing to the mind.

That's right, all of the descendants of Daedalus are forced to work on Knossos under a 'blood curse', this forces them to work on the project left behind by Daedalus.

(Curse and Hexes shall be left for later...)

Even after 1000 years, Knossos only extends as deep as the Middle floors…

It's clear this project will never end… At least until someone finds out how the Dungeon works and speeds up the process.

"Because the project had to be kept a secret, over time, this area ended up becoming a labyrinth of houses and architecture, it's harder to traverse here than in some floors of the Dungeon."

And if you are unlucky you may end up inside Knossos… And that place is said to be even more complex than up here… There are few open entrances, but and most require the use of special keys, Magic items made from the eyes of Daedalus descendants.

Creepy, I know, but people will do anything for a powerful Magic Item.

(Magic Item is different from a Magic sword, the second one is used to refer to those special swords made by the Crozzos and some smithing Familias.

Magical gear like Bete's boots and Asfi boots are within the realm of Magic items… At least this is what I understood from reading the wiki.)

"Although a proficient adventurer could easily leave by walking on the roofs of the houses..."

"Let me just pick the diary before I am targeted by thieves and bandits..."

'Silver looked behind him to see a suspicious group of people watching him.'

Most of the people here are just poor workers, but if you are unlucky like me, you can meet with bandits…

Not everyone can be like Bell and easily pass through this place without a single bit of trouble.

'Silver made his way across the area as if he knew the place, and soon enough, his followers lost him.'

'In truth, Silver didn't know where he was going, and if he met with any obstacle, he would use his powers to pass it. With his memory, it wasn't hard to go back from where he came.'

'Following this event, Silver continued to look for Frederic's house, but that proved to be a hard and lengthy task…

Because all of the houses were built in a disorganized way, finding a proper number may be incredibly difficult.'

"Z-207...Z-209… C-21?... Fuuuck. Not this again..."

"I have been running around the place for two fucking hours already..."

I asked people, but most of them simply ignored me. At this point, I am tempted to use mind control…

Or simple bribery.

I tried jumping onto the roofs and looking for the place but… It was a terrible idea.

The houses are almost fused with each other in this place, so in some sections, I can't even see the bottom of the street.

'It was at that point that Silver felt a slight tug on his shirt.'

'He turned around and noticed a small child with brown hair.'

"You lost mister?" Asked the Child

(Image)

"Ha… I am not lost, but I can't seem to find the place I am looking for."

'The child looked at Silver with a speechless face.'

"So you are lost, how about a deal eh?"

This kid…

He seems familiar somehow… Perhaps he was a character in the show? It has been so long that I forgot some things…

"Tell me where you want to go and I will tell you as long as you pay."

"Alright, if that's going to save my time then so be it. I am looking for a house, number..."

'Upon hearing what Silver said, the child became pensive.'

"... You must be looking for one of those old houses near the ruins. The letter system doesn't work the same way here as in the rest of Orario, that's why you are lost."

"Here, the letters are meant to distinguish the time when a house was built. So if you want to look for that place, you should go towards the older areas."

"... I see, I will take a look."

'He put his hands forward and said:'

"1K Valis!"

"..."

Seeing a child so eagerly asking for nothing more than 1K Valis is…

Sad, pitiful…

But I don't feel anything. I was more than used to this situation.

In society, it's normal that some are going to be below others.

Even more so in a society where people can grow stronger by fighting to the point where they can become "Gods".

("Gods")

Some tried to reduce the distance between the top and the bottom while others aimed to remove it completely.

I was someone who chose the first option since I believed it was impossible to remove poverty.

I tried many things:

Give them a good place to call home and good jobs, followed by an opportunity to study and at least apply for a decent job.

They won't become rich this way, but they can become working cogs of society and if they get creative, the laws allow them to develop their ideas.

This is the path I choose.

'Silver took out a few coins from his pouch, they were worth exactly 1000.

Silver isn't a naive fool, he won't give more than the boy asked and cause him trouble.'

'The boy happily accepted the coins and left in a hurry, it's normal since there are eyes everywhere. The child will seek to spend the money as soon as possible.'

"It must be hard… For the boy to get out of poverty he needs a job, but most jobs are already secured in Orario, so the best way to get one is to become an adventurer."

"And that's exactly what most poor kids end up doing. Becoming a supporter for some adventurer group."

Some grow stronger and join a Familia, eventually retiring and having a good life.

Others die or suffer, ending up in a ditch with a bleak future… Leaving behind even more orphan kids...

A never-ending cycle...

"Enough of this depressing topic. I have things to do."

'Silver disappeared into an alley...'

…

'In the middle of some ruins, Silver was standing in front of an old wooden house.'

'This portion of the Daedalus street was less claustrophobic than before, probably because most of the houses here were super old.'

'Few were the houses that were still standing, but at least these people live in better conditions than the others...'

'Although the infrastructure was old, every house had a space, enough to even have a garden. The problem is that you are more in the open... But who would steal from the poor?'

"It's here, let me get inside and get the damn diary..."

'Silver easily bypassed the lock by crushing it with his hands.'

'What? Did you expect him to pick the lock like a thief?'

/Creak.../

'The wood cracked as he walked inside. The place seemed as if it was about to break into pieces...'

'He looked around, but only noticed old furniture and day-to-day items, so he went to take a look in the rooms on the second floor.'

"... I found it."

'The house was relatively small, having only two rooms upstairs. The first room was empty while the second one only had a bed, a desk, and an old wardrobe.'

'The book was thin and made of leather, the pages in it seemed quite old, but there were signs of it being recently updated if you look at the dried ink on the table.'

/CRACK!/

'Silver sat on the bed but it protested as something seemed to have been broken...'

'Ignoring whatever happened, he started to read the book.'

…

{Day one in Orario, November 3,...}

{I moved to the old house of my parents, it's rather old and far from the main streets, but it's more than enough for me.

...

I will look for a Familia as soon as I settle everything in here...}

{Day seven in Orario, November 10,...}

{I did it! I got into a Familia! I was quite lucky as I heard that getting into one was hard, but I tried my best and it paid off! The God was also very kind, Dionysus was his name...

I could say I was lucky, but I don't have the courage to admit it... I wouldn't have been able to enter this Familia if it wasn't for that event...

Forget it, the past should remain in the past...}

"What a scam... Considering the time, it should have been close to the disaster in the Dungeon and Ryuu's slaughter, so the Dyonisus Familia was probably recruiting people in the droves."

{Day 110 in Orario...}

{It was embarrassing, but after many days of courtship, I finally got Li to be my girlfriend! Although… Gill seemed to be acting strange. I thought she would support me, and not call my girlfriend a bitch!

How could she say such a thing?!...}

"So this was when everything started... Love can blind people... How pathetic."

I am not judging him for falling in love, I am judging him for leaving an old friend for someone you have known for just a few weeks.

{Day 120...}

{I stopped talking with Gill after she continued to spout nonsense about my girlfriend.

In any case, the future seems bright! I am progressing at a fast speed and I have a beautiful and nice partner, what could go wrong?...}

"Figured... From here... only day-to-day trash... I will memorize it and go over it later."

'Silver turned page after page, only taking a few glances in each one, eventually stopping to read one page with more atention...'

{Day 780...}

{Today I didn't progress… Again, sigh. Perhaps it's time to retire, I gathered more than enough money to buy a nice house and set up a very decent shop. Li told me to buy some gear and try to Level up, but that's too dangerous.

She seems rather distant… I should try her suggestion and see if she gets happier… I will buy a new set of gear, it isn't that expensive anyway...}

"So, I think it was here when his wife realized her husband wasn't that great... He probably once had great ambitions, but his drive was cooled down by the danger of the Dungeon."

"He took the easier approach, and that is to retire and live a calm and good life."

The problem was that his wife wasn't satisfied with that...

{Day 1223...}

{I heard some nasty rumors recently about my wife… I heard some drunk members of the Familia saying my wife tasted good and that they would have a try… I almost exploded on the spot but… They were level 2, too much for me to handle... Bunch of envious fuckers.

At least my good friend is defending me, it's good to see I at least have someone helping me...}

"He was completely entranced by his wife, what a fool. She was probably gathering favors in droves since she wanted equipment, its quite normal to lack money around Level 2-3 since there is a sudden spike in equipment prices."

And her husband couldn't pay for those... Tsk...

{Day 1320...}

{Today was a rather strange day, I came back home to see my wife tired and sweating on her bed. I panicked thinking she was sick but she kept refusing me saying she was fine.

There was also this strange fishy smell...

She shouldn't work so hard all of the time. I tried to convince her to retire but she once again refused me with a cold face.

Is being an adventurer so essential? Risking your life like that? And for what?...}

"Alright, this guy is a certified Cuckold. How cant he notice it by this point? Is he denying it?"

It has been several months since his wife started to cheat on him, and it doesn't seem that hard to notice.

{Day 1656...}

{I should stop denying it… My wife is cheating on me with someone… Or multiple people.

Just thinking about it makes me ~~//~~, shit, I spilled ink on the paper.

In any case, I plan to break up later, I am done with Orario and all of these pretentious people. Perhaps I can return to my parents in the countryside, they were excited to have a grandson, but I will have to deliver some bad news for them...

As soon as I sell my house and some things, then I will be ready. If I am lucky I might even find a good person in there… Sigh, who am I kidding?

I came here with dreams of becoming rich, and I am leaving with less… I think I do have My Level, that's a start...}

"So the time came, one year too late I presume."

This guy is clearly not fit to be an adventurer, too dumb to do anything, too trustworthy and hopeful.

Worse, he has no drive to continue and improve by facing danger. If he was a little more talented, he could've continued like that until he hit Level 3, but he wasn't.

{Day 1678…}

{Strange… Today I saw a hooded man leaving Dionysus-Sama's house, later, I saw the same hooded man going into my house, but I am sure that bitch wasn't there today… Could it be… Her lover? The one I have been looking for all of this time?

It seems rather strange for him to be doing such a thing though... }

"Hum... Hooded man? Interesting. I don't think this is related to his wife's scandal unless it's her favorite lover doing a sneak-in..."

But that wouldn't explain why he was also hooded when he left Dyonisus' mansion.

{Day 1684...}

{I was wrong… I should've left Orario when I could! Now… Everything is fucked!

My house was taken, my money as well! Now I can't even return to my parents!

WHY!? WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!

The more I look, the least I understand. Just why did Li cheat on me?!

That fucking Elf! I trusted him… But he only used me to further his goals…

Nevertheless, there was still one thing that I didn't understand.

While I was investigating, I found that hooded man once again, and I pretty much confirmed he wasn't that other bastard. So who is he? What is he plotting?}

'There was a small note below that saying:'

{I should've just left and not placed my nose where I didn't belong. Nevertheless, my days were counted ever since I made that bastard my friend.

Even until now, I never found out why and how he had so much influence within the Familia and in some parts of Orario.}

"..."

'Silver continued to jump the pages until he found something interesting...'

{Day 1698...}

{Now, even my God has abandoned me.

At least I have this new Skill… Whatever it does.

Even if I make money and leave, I am sure I will be hunted down to the ends of the Earth.

So my only choice is to get stronger, but now my God refuses to help.

WHY?! AFTER ALL I HAVE DONE?! JUST WHAT IS HAPPENING THAT EVEN YOU CAN'T HELP ME?!

Does this have something to do with my investigations? Am I being silenced for snooping around too much?

If only… If only I could change Familias… But who would accept me? And even then, I need Dionysus to approve...}

"This is strange."

{Da-Day 1713...}

{My friend… The ---//--- who destroyed my life is now aiming to take away my ---//---... My future as well.

It wasn't enough trying to take away everything, yet ---//---, you now aim to take my life?

What a fucking friend… ---//---

Who were those assassins? ---//--- ...

They seemed way too organized to be mercenaries, but Orario is ---//--- under constant protection of the Artemis Familia, so criminal organizations wouldn't act so brazenly! At least not to the point where they would hunt me even in the daytime...

So who are they?!

---//---

I need to run, they will soon find this place, my last resort is the Dungeon...}

'The journal ended there.'

'The last entry had a few droplets of blood in it, but it didn't seem to be obscuring too much information, however, it was still annoying to read.'

(N1)

"He was probably hurt when he wrote this passage, and desperate as well."

"Hum… I am left with more questions than answers."

I thought Dyonisus had led him into becoming a Creature hybrid, but this assumption was wrong.

"So how did he become one?"

The only solution is that Dionysus repurposed him into one…

But then… Would all of this event have been orchestrated by him? To give despair to this boy and then use him as a Chess piece?

This seems to be in line with his personality.

"But I feel as if something is missing..."

Let's say that all was a coincidence.

Frederic went into the Dungeon after fleeing from his hunters and met a Demi-Spirit that turned him into a Hybrid.

"How do I explain this secret organization and the influence of the Elf?"

It can't be Evilus right? Dionysus may be a sick bastard but he is an incredible patient tactician. He would wait years for the right moment to cause the most chaos.

Even if Frederic was the perfect test subject...

He wouldn't risk revealing himself this early.

"So I will assume it is another association, one that is working with the Dyonisys Familia."

If that's so, what would be their relationship? Is it so important that Dionysus would risk his public opinion by abandoning Frederic?

Is that Elf part of the organization? If so, was he the one that ordered the assassins to go after Frederic?

And why? Why would the Elf use his organization's influence in order to deal with a low-level adventurer?

It doesn't seem profitable in any way. It even seems... Risky.

Was it because of his wife?

Or was he hunted because he saw something he shouldn't? Like the cloaked man…

"Hum… This is enough for now. I should go back home and think more, under the safety of home."

As for this diary… I thought about handing it over to authorities, people like the Hermes Familia would be able to find out what is happening in an instant.

But then again, I would certainly be pulled into a heap of trouble.

/Bloop/

'As if a stone fell into the water, his inventory space opened and he stored the book inside.'

"Even if I won't hand it now, it doesn't mean I won't do it later... Better keep it just in case."

'After he was done, he quickly left while concealing his traces.'

'His next stop was the Guild, he had to collect the previous reward right?'

'At least one of them...'

...

.

.

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