/That same day, later in the afternoon…/

'Silver and Hestia led Artemis and Rethusa out of their mansion after a rather productive day.'

'At this time, there were no workers in the mansion, everybody had already left to do who knows what.'

'It was oddly silent…'

"I'll go take a shower." Said Hestia as she turned around and left

'Silver nodded, saying:'

"Hum… Then, I will go to the Dungeon." Said Silver

"Really?! There is no need for you to push yourself so much…" Said Hestia in a concerned tone as she turned around

"I won't go past the 17Th floor this time, I only want to stretch a bit, I will be back in 2-3 hours anyway."

'After he said that, Silver turned around and went after Hestia, greatly confusing her.'

"?? Weren't you going to the Dungeon?" She asked

"Hum? Did you forget I don't need to walk to go there?" Asked Silver as he tilted his face

"..."

I forgot…

"Your face tells me you forgot." Teased Silver

'Hestia's face got red as she pouted.'

"Humph! I don't care!" She said as she turned around and walked 'angrily' towards the mansion

"..."

I guess it has been quite some time since I used my abilities to go to the Dungeon.

Since I always go to the Guild to get my commissions first, I lost the habit of doing this…

"I will meet you in the Church later, okay?" Asked Silver loudly

"Whatever!" Said Hestia as she walked without turning back

"..."

'Silver made his way towards his 'new' home.'

'Thinking of this made him remember his own home.'

'It had been a bit over a month since he sent his last letter to them and a bit over 3 weeks since he received their last letter.'

"Did they finish their travels safely?"

They told me they were going on a small trip that might take over a month and that they wouldn't be able to receive my letters.

I wonder how they are going to react if I tell them I became Level 2.

'Without further ado, Silver made his way to the Mansion and summoned the door towards the Dungeon…'

…

/Several hours later at night…/

'Silver yawned and stretched as he made his way across Orario.'

'He had just taken a shower in the Church after he came from the Dungeon with his Ability.'

'However, even though he went to the Dungeon, he focused more on gathering large amounts of loot instead of exploring the Lower Middle floors.'

'Currently, money was more important than Exilia.'

"Things are slowly going back to normal." He said as he walked

Although, there is still a lot to do.

"I guess things are only going to calm down after the recruitment day and in the next few days down the line…"

After that… I will return to my routine and explore the rest of the Middle floors.

Hum… Will I meet the Xenos? They are quite interesting beings.

No, that isn't the question... 'Should' I meet them?

I am pretty sure the Xenos have 2 hidden villages, one on the 27th floor and another one on the... 20th? Or was it the 21st floor?

No matter, I will find out as I explore... I really want to meet them if possible though...

"There are many things we can learn from each other after all…"

I do sympathize with them a little bit, however, they are a bit too naive.

Most likely due to the fact they lived their entire lives underground with minimum interaction with the surface.

In Essence, Xenos is a race of Monsters that are not quite like other monsters... Obviously.

Through an unknown method, the Unique Soul of the monsters in the Dungeon transforms and from that, the Xenos are born.

They are monsters capable of sapience and emotions, different from powerful monsters such as the Juggernaut that is capable of critical thought but no self-thought/Sapience and emotions... Kind of.

The Xenos want to go to the surface, at least, most of them want to do that.

However, after more than 10 thousand years of war with the monsters from the Dungeon, it's clear most people on the surface wouldn't take kindly to monsters that can think…

No matter how much they scream in pain and agony, people won't sympathize with them…

Either because they are afraid or because they wish to remain ignorant of their plight…

For me, their problem is pretty easy to resolve.

If they want to come to the surface, they need strength.

Just like a nation won't be respected by the others around it if said nation is weak.

(This aged pretty badly not gonna lie, I wrote this over a month ago, and...)

If the Xenos can't show to the world they are a force to be reckoned with, they will never arrive at the surface.

At least, within this lifetime… Since strength isn't the only way for them to coexist, it's only the fastest method.

Once they get a spot on the surface, it's all about slowly showing to the world who they are…

It would require several decades to centuries of hard work from generations of Xenos until the people start to accept them…

All the while being exiled from normal society, living in a similar way to Elves, but at least they are on the surface...

That's why having strength is necessary.

"But that doesn't matter since I am not going to their area of influence anytime soon."

"As for my long-term plans…"

I will raise my stats to the maximum and Level up to 3.

At least as high as I can.

How? There are many challenges that I can take…

Every monster rex is a challenge worthy of taking in order to Level up.

I could also challenge other high-Level adventurers.

The Xenos would also be a pretty good option, some of them are really strong, even if they are weaker at this time.

Another reason why I want to meet with the Xenos soon, as intelligent monsters if I were to teach them how to get stronger properly, they would be the best training partners.

There are also many unique strong monsters on the surface, they are rare but they are there.

"Overall, leveling up is all about having a challenge and surviving."

"Until then… What shall I do on this beautiful night?" Pondered Silver

Hestia is just lazing away in the Church… She is very tired from overseeing this entire Familia stuff.

And I am not particularly hungry…

"... I think I can give those guys a visit." Said Silver as he made his way West…

…

/15 minutes later…/

'After walking for a few minutes, Silver finally arrived at his destination.'

/Blue Pharmacy/

'A 4-floor building made mostly of wood with stone details, however, it was clear it was made out of high-quality wood.'

'As the name implied, this was a medicine/potion shop. In fact, it was one of the biggest in Orario, big enough to compete with the Dian Cecht Familia, the biggest medicinal Familia in Orario.'

'Silver gazed at the humble yet high-Class potion shop and couldn't help but remember the sad state they became in the original work.'

"..."

In the original timeline, Naaza lost her arm, and this led to a sequence of events that made the Miach Familia, who at the time, was a medium ranking Familia, to pretty much disappear.

Miach entered into debt in order to buy a prosthetic arm for Naaza, and this made everyone apart from her leave the Familia.

It's rather pitiful how low the loyalty of some people is.

Is money so important that you can't even tolerate one year of living with a tight budget?

Not like it's so extreme, deals can be made and I am sure the Middle-rank Miach Familia would've been more than capable of living their lives without caring about the debt.

They sell potions… Potions made by a GOD! It's impossible to not have clients.

Although… Miach is known for being very kind… And giving away potions for free… So much so they never managed to get out of poverty even after several years…

'Silver frowned as he thought.'

Perhaps that was the reason…

But at the same time, Miach's case perfectly represents how most adventurers in Orario act/think.

They become adventurers mostly for the money and fame, and if a Familia can't give them that, they will leave in search of another.

It's not like there is a scarcity of Familias in Orario.

That is also why Bell was refused so many times.

For them, it's best to refuse a complete newbie, a country bumpkin kid who wishes to become a hero… How naive can he be?

Few are actually in here for an adventure... To dive into danger to get stronger, just for the sake of it.

In fact, many criticize Ottar, saying he is already pretty strong and that is no reason to get stronger... They are frogs in a well, completely ignorant to the dangers of the world.

With their pitiful strength and determination, they are pretty much required to have a Hero to save and protect them, otherwise, they will die.

"No wonder the quality of the adventurers in Orario massively decreased compared to a few decades ago."

Not like I can blame them, each generation has its own worries and responsibilities.

And despite that, there are still many who are worthy of respect. People who will continue to challenge themselves to Level up.

'Silver shook his head and opened the door.'

/Cling cling cling…/

'The small bell at the top of the door chimed as he made his way inside.'

"Hm?... How unusual, to get a client at this time." Said someone at the counter

'Silver gazed at the person and didn't recognize the man.'

He must be one of the members who originally abandoned the Familia.

'Despite that, Silver maintained his poker face as he said:'

"I am only visiting the place." Said Silver

"Sure, call me if you need anything, although, we are closing in half an hour." Said the man as he continued to write a few things on a piece of paper

"..."

'Silver nodded.'

At least he is working diligently.

'Silver turned around to face the rest of the shop.'

'It was filled with multiple shelves that were packed with all sorts of things, potions, monster drops, materials, etc.'

'He recognized some of the potions and items but most of them were new to him.'

'Even though he had already visited many shops in Orario, it was still surprising to see such diversity.'

"I guess each potion maker has their own recipes." He said as he grabbed a yellow potion

/Frostbite Healing Potion/

"Yup, apart from some widespread recipes, most of the shops in this area of business have their own recipes in order to differentiate from the others." Said the man at the counter

"Sometimes, certain clinics will have their own unique recipes and special services in order to attract customers."

"It is no different for us." He said as he inspected the shelves behind him

"We specialize in pharmaceutical products and services. That's what we are known for."

"However, when most people think of such things, they tend to think of…"

"The Dian Cecht Familia, our greatest competitor." Said a feminine voice from the side

'Silver and the man looked to the side to see Naaza.'

'She was currently wearing some casual clothes, a green shirt, and brown shorts.'

"Captain." Said the man as he bowed

"Miss Naaza." Said Silver

'Naaza looked at Silver and said:'

"Thank you for coming, we have been waiting for this for a long time." She said as her tail started to move from left to right

'Upon hearing this, the expression of the man on the counter changed.'

"Is he?..." He asked in surprise

'Naaza nodded.'

"I… How couldn't I recognize you?! I am sorry for not welcoming you!" Said the man as he bowed

"Thank you for saving our Captain!" He said as he bowed

"... It was nothing." Said Silver in an awkward tone

"... Would you like to come inside? Miach-Sama would love to talk with you personally." She asked while she pointed toward the door

"Of course, that's what I came here to do." Said Silver

"Great! Follow me." She said as she turned and entered the door

"..."

Why is her tail wagging?

… I know that this can be a result of unconscious actions.

The ears of the Elves can twitch from time to time, and the ears from Demi-Humans can also move in an unconscious way.

Like Wolf people, their ears would move in order to capture sounds better without the person even realizing it.

Although for dog people, Chienthropes. their tail wagging normally means…

Happiness... Ho? Is she happy to see me? Hum...

'Wondering about meaningless things, Silver made his way deeper into the Miach Familia's home. '

…

"We arrived." Said Naaza as she stopped in front of a door

'After a minute walking, Silver and Naaza arrived at a room on the third floor.'

'In fact, half of the entire third floor seemed to be dedicated to this single room.

"This is Miach-Sama's laboratory." She said

'But Silver got confused and he said:'

"Are you sure I can enter this place? I wouldn't mind talking outside." He said

"We do have rooms for negotiations and deals, however, you didn't come here to negotiate right?" Asked Naaza as she turned around to look at Silver

"And the thing is, we are currently changing the furniture of our guest room." Said Naaza as she called for Silver to get close

"And Miach-Sama is probably mixing some potions, so his appearance may be a bit unkempt… It isn't really fitting for him to leave." She whispered to Silver

'Silver smiled and nodded.'

/Knock Knock…/

"Yes?" Said a voice from inside

"Miach-Sama? May I enter?" Asked Naaza

"Naaza? Of course! I am not doing anything anyway." Said Miach with his gentle voice

'Naaza opened the door and entered the room, followed by Silver.'

'The scene surprised Miach, but he soon recognized who had entered.'

'So he turned to Naaza and said in a helpless tone…'

"Naaza… You should tell me when we have guests." He said as he got up

'Miach was currently quite unkempt, his hair was disheveled and his fingers were clearly black due to handling some strange substance.'

'And he was wearing a brown apron filled with colorful taints… Clearly, those taints were from his experiments.'

'Behind him was a table filled with all sorts of materials and flasks.'

'The room itself was also quite messy as there were all sorts of things scattered around the shelves and tables. It also had a confusing smell, a strong smell due to the mixture of many materials.'

'Miach turned to Silver and said:'

"Thank you for taking some time and visiting, I know you must be quite occupied, can you wait a little while as I make myself presentable?" Asked Miach as he smiled

"I don't mind though, I came unannounced anyway, I won't demand you to be presentable at all times." Said Silver as he gave his hand to Miach

"... You are truly a nice person." Said Miach as he grabbed Silver's hand

'They did a light handshake.'

"But despite that, I still need to clean my hands and fix my appearance, I feel quite uncomfortable, Naaza, would you make us something in the meantime?" He asked

'Naaza nodded and led Silver to a couch in the middle of the room, she then turned around and left towards a deeper area in the room to grab something.'

'Silver was now left alone.'

"..."

It's quite an interesting place.

The closest thing to an alchemist lab I ever entered was my grandmother's basement.

Not only that, this is a God of alchemy lab…

Just like Blacksmithing and Magic, I always had a great interest in Alchemy.

You can also put Item making in the mix.

From items that can make you affect a God's blessing to a potion that can reattach limbs…

Weapons of immense might and even the legendary Philosopher's stone who granted the sage immortality…

Even if at the cost of his fleshly body.

The limits of things in this world are certainly…

'Silver looked at the tools on the table and shook his head.'

Gods aren't omnipotent, that's why Humans can always surpass them.

That's also one of the reasons why many descended in the first place…

"Sorry for the wait." Said Miach as he returned to the room

"It was nothing." Replied Silver

"There are many things I would like to talk about, how about we start with this?" Said Miach as he took a red potion from a shelf near the table

"This is a Limb Connection potion, please, take it." Said Miach with a smile

'But Silver started to sweat…'

No wonder they got bankrupt!

Even if you value the life of your child very much, how could you just give me a potion worth Millions of Valis??

"Thank you but…"

"No no, I insist." Said Miach

'Silver's face blackened.'

"..."

Even I have my moral limits, I simply can't accept this, man…

I feel like I am scamming you... By a lot.

"Miach-Sama… What are you doing with the commission item?" Asked Naaza in an icy cold tone as she returned with a small plate in her hands

"Eh?... Haha… I can always make another…" Replied Miach

"With what material? Do you know how hard it is to get the materials for this potion? Or how expensive they are? We only received a single set of them for the commission and if we give the potion away we will have to buy another set else suffer the consequences…" Replied Naaza

'As she said that she placed the plate on the table and said:'

"I am sorry for this, due to the lack of time I only prepared cold tea, I hope you don't mind." She said as she bowed

"I quite like cold tea to be honest." Replied Silver with a smile

'Naaza nodded with a smile and turned to face Miach.'

"I beg of you my kind God… Please, store that away, can't you see you are inconveniencing our guest?" Said Naaza

"Eh? Is that true?" Asked Miach in a low tone

"Ha… Look, I only came to visit, not to receive gifts, as I said last time, I don't need anything in return for what I did… Much less such an expensive potion."

'But Miach didn't want to back down…'

'However, before he could open his mouth, Silver said with a smile:'

"How about a deal?"

"Hm?"

'Both Naaza and Miach seemed confused…'

…

.

.

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Notes