When rationality burns in the midst of battle, all that remains is a beast searching for a good battle

Narrator POV:

"Hey, Mikhael, what exactly is your dream? You have some very impressive skill as you are certainly fated to greatness but what is it that you want?"

Hestia looked curiously at the young man sitting next to her, a person who carried three important fates as well as the one who had the skill to see the future or heal almost everything.

A good man with an exquisite appearance that surpassed divinity, the fated partner of two goddesses, a future king, someone who sees the future, an excellent cook, and more...

Every time she thought he was already wonderful enough, he had another card up his sleeve, as if he was the very personification of that unknown that gods loved, the deep mystery that made their hearts beat.

"Hmmm... that's a complicated question." Mikhael looked at the goddess who sat next to him on the bed. His gaze was thoughtful as he held his chin in an adorable gesture.

"You know, I want many things and I want to change many more. If I had to choose one dream out of all of them, it would be to form a big happy family, even if that did sound a bit childish."

Upon hearing the truth contained in it, Hestia realized again with a bit of shame that he really did fit her tastes. A man of family that was kind and cute enough.

"But for that, I need enough power to protect that happiness from anything." The young man got up from the bed, looking towards the door for some reason she didn't know.

"I think that only something like 'the strongest' would be enough to achieve such a dream, it will be somewhat difficult, but I will surely reach that here too."

Before Hestia could ask what exactly he meant, the sound of someone knocking on the door reached her ears. That made it clear what he saw at the door.

There was one question that Mikhael never answered for her, exactly, how much of the future did he see and what did he see in that future?

The doubt in her heart reappeared thanks to his great foresight. And thanks to that other time when he just smiled mysteriously without answering anything to that question.

Opening the basement door, the rays of sunlight in front of the young man revealed the identity of the visitors in the form of Miach and his only daughter. The god seemed surprised to see him opening the door.

"Hestia, you finally managed to recruit someone?! It's good to see that!" As always with his friendly attitude, Miach extended his hand to the young man, who shook it in response.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm the god Miach, an acquaintance of your goddess."

"No, no, the pleasure is all mine, I heard that you helped my goddess a few times, I really appreciate it." A pout formed on the goddess' lips as she saw how she was treated like a child. "It's only natural, Hestia can be really worrying sometimes, I'm glad she has you now."

Sharing a laugh, Mikhael let the god pass along with his silent daughter, who looked at them both with a sleepy expression. After that incident, she had been just like that.

Miach's daughter had lost her arm in the dungeon in a grotesque way when the monsters almost devoured her. She was saved, but one her arms was not that lucky.

Since then, the poor girl had a trauma with the monsters of the dungeon and could not continue serving as captain of her Familia, that caused it to decline, leaving her as the only member of the Familia who dedicated herself to medicine.

After the introductions and a few talks, Mikhael managed to softly change the subject. "I heard that you make healing potions with a high quality, right?"

"Yes, if you want you can have some that I just have on hand." Amidst his daughter's helpless look, the god fell into his bad habit of selflessly giving away his potions, like he usually did.

But before he could take them out, he was stopped by a gesture from the young man's hand, whose smile widened upon seeing the god's actions.

"No, I didn't exactly mean that, I wouldn't like to take advantage of your kindness just like that." The surprised god nodded slowly as the young man continued to explain. "Then, I propose to you an equivalent exchange."

"As you see we are still in rather humble beginnings." The young man's arm then pointed around as if to make a point. "But there is certainly something we can exchange to form an equal relationship."

Along with those words, that outstretched arm began to change. The white skin on it turned black as night. A mystical glow appeared on the cross-shaped mark on the back of his hand, blue vein-like lines spreading out.

"That would be the full recovery of your daughter's lost arm." Mikhael smiled in satisfaction under the surprised gazes. Illusory chains danced reflected in the goddess's eyes.

Yes, why didn't she think of that? That skill should be able to heal almost all wounds and illnesses. Even healing lost limbs shouldn't be impossible with that arm. That was a miraculous arm that refused to lose anyone more to an illness.

"A-an skill? It seems you were very lucky, Hestia." Miach commented involuntarily but shook his head quickly. "Young man, can you really heal her arm?..."

Although the god could certainly sense the truth in Mikhael's words, his voice still trembled with surprise. As did his daughter's incredulous eyes that seemed to refuse to have a false hope.

"Of course, but I think it would be more credible with irrefutable evidence, wouldn't it?" At the same time he finished speaking, the chains that danced in the air shot out towards the surprised young woman who almost tried to avoid them instinctively.

But the chains reached her, coming into contact with her. Under the young woman's trembling, incredulous gaze, that empty sleeve of the outfit she was wearing slowly filled up, and in a few moments a healthy hand emerged from of it.

Naaza Erisuis's eyes quickly became moist as she flexed her new fingers. Hestia couldn't fully understand her feelings but she was certainly glad when the young woman and the god were clearly very happy.

"See? That's irrefutable proof." The young man's smug expression would be adorable if it weren't for the slight but clear paleness of his expression as he spoke with satisfaction.

Before Hestia could ask him if he was alright, the speed of an Lv.3 adventurer far outpaced her as the young dog-eared beast human knocked down her captain.

Miach wiped the moisture in his eyes in the form of tears as he watched his daughter repeatedly ask him if he was alright in panic. Turning around, his expression twisted as he saw what looked like a jealous look on Hestia's face.

Even someone as dense as him seemed to be able to understand what was going through the pouting goddess's mind but they waited until both young people got up from the floor.

"Then, I would like to form an alliance with several Familias for smoother progress, I formally invite you to this very thing," Mikhael explained as he ignored how the goddess looked at him after having him sit firmly at her very side.

Something somewhere in Hestia's instincts had kicked in when she saw the moved and overly warm expression on Miach's daughter's face as she looked at her only son and captain.

Without fully realizing it, she began to consider her a rival that could take Mikhael away from her.

Mikhael probably noticed that when his face twisted in the same way but in his case with more amusement than stupefaction as it was in the personal case of the god Miach.

Later, under the watchful eyes of the goddess, an agreement was reached between the two families. One of the topics discussed was how the Miach Familia would supply them with healing potions. At least, for free until their economy improved.

"It's okay, don't worry, you've done us an invaluable favor anyway," Miach reassured the young man after saying goodbye. Stepping aside, he made room for his daughter.

"I..." Naaza faced the young man's slightly perplexed gaze. She held her new arm tightly as a strong determination appeared on her face that was no longer so sleepy. "I will certainly make sure to pay you for this help, thank you."

Mikhael smiled helplessly and tilted his head. "It's okay, but don't overexert yourself, that new arm may be a bit weak for now, I suggest training with it to improve its condition."

After seeing her nod repeatedly as if recording each word, Hestia pinched her nose as they left. It had been a great encounter, an alliance was achieved between them, and above all, the arm of Miach's daughter could be healed.

"Was she pretty?" Mikhael turned to see the pouting of the goddess. Raising an eyebrow, after a moment, he showed an expression of understanding. "She was, she is certainly a beauty."

Smiling sincerely, he lowered himself to the height of the goddess who puffed out her cheeks like a blowfish. "But without a doubt our lovely goddess is much more so, don't you think so too?"

"I-is that so?" Hestia deflated at his words, her cheeks turning red as she looked closely at his deep blue eyes. Her son had clear qualities of a womanizer, but at least he knew how to speak to her very sweetly, she had to grant him that.

As for Artemis... who was Artemis again? Hestia swore that she was just very worried that some scoundrel would hurt his feelings, nothing more, just that.

Patting the surprised goddess on the head, who after a few moments narrowed her eyes in enjoyment, Mikhael informed her something. "I'm going to go to the guild to formalize my union, then I'll go through the dungeon and I guess I'll come back in the afternoon."

Seeing the reluctance in the goddess's somewhat spoiled expression, Mikhael showed a slightly amused expression. "After I get some money, how about we go for a walk when I get back? I still don't know much about Orario."

Wait a minute... Was that a date? No, it was just a goddess responsibly showing her son around the city... Right?.

Burning with motivation, the goddess thumped her chest. "Leave it to me, Mikhael, I will show you the best of it!"

Watching his back walking away down the street, Hestia waved an arm as she shouted, "Be very careful inside the dungeon!" Smiling as he waved his arm too in response to her.

Well...now she had a potential date to prepare for.

***

Ah, fuck, the sun sure is hot as hell with the cloak on. Those were Mikhael's not-so-civilized thoughts as he yawned on his way to his destination, the guild.

At least, he had been able to form a cooperative and equal relationship with a Familia like Miach's, which had some prominence before the incident with his captain. The incident resulted in most of the members leaving the Familia.

The cutie's tears and hug were touching in many ways. However, it was more interesting to see Hestia's possessive nature awakened live and in person.

As was the new addiction he discovered when he felt how comfortable it was to pat Hestia and watch her melt like a purring cat against his hand. It was certainly... invaluable.

[But the great system doesn't understand something, why did the little user pretend that it cost him to cure a simple limb? Wouldn't it be better to impress them with your capabilities?]

(There is a certain line that separates reasonably capable people from monsters, when you cross that imaginary but real line, people will surely isolate you, my dear Miss System.)

After answering the system's question, based on his experience as the one who temporarily held the title of 'the strongest' in his home world, Mikhael arrived at the guild.

After asking one of the employees about the identity of his advisor, Mikhael was pleasantly surprised to learn the identity of this same person: Rose Fannett.

To reduce casualties in the dungeon and improve the efficiency of travel within it, the guild assigned each one of its employees to several adventurers to serve as advisors. That did not change at all his interest when he was in front of the woman.

"I'm really curious what kind of amount you paid the guild leader so that he will help you with what you need." The oldest advisor was a remarkably attractive woman with wolf ears as red as her hair and a well-endowed body accentuated by the guild uniform.

That was the person in front of Mikhael who didn't even look at him, keeping a hard, disinterested expression on her face.

"Hmmm... Hestia Familia, huh? Was there someone like that around here in Orario?"

Well. It wasn't as if Mikhael couldn't understand the reason for the woman's deepening disinterest when she saw the information on the paper he filled out; what his Familia was.

After all, she kept a distance from adventurers to avoid getting hurt. He probably had a red flag hanging over his head from her personal point of view based on her tragic and sad experiences.

There wasn't much to say about his Familia, without any kind of fame and probably no resources either, which was the truth. However, Hestia had him, that was more than enough. Was anything else needed besides him?, Nah, it did not.

"Next, let me see your face so I can write down your features here." Removing the hood covering his features, a slightly smug smile crept across his lips at her surprise.

'cough'

"At least you look good, I guess that makes up for my wasted time here."

Wow. It was particularly impressive how she managed to keep the same expression after a bit of effort. Her fingers moved across the paper, making a mini portrait. Mikhael had to admit that the employees were very skilled people.

"A very good drawing, it captures at least 50, no, 60% of my appearance." The woman looked up to see a particularly annoying smile. "Appearance won't do you any good when you end up being food to some random monster today."

"Oh? Those are pretty confident words, how about this, I heard a rumor that says that advisors make bets on how long adventurers will last alive. How about we make a bet between us? I imagine you wouldn't back down now..."

Rose smiled stiffly at the slight disdain in his eyes, a vein standing out on her forehead because of him. "Fine, but if you ask for something like a date with me I'll have to turn you down, you look good and all but I'm not interested in you at all."

"Three months, in three months not only will I be alive but the Hestia Familia will have moved into the spotlight of Orario. If I win, I want you to properly serve as my advisor, If you win, well, you would be right in this whole matter of today."

"But it's just impossible for something like that to happen, isn't it?" The young man's arrogant smile seemed to prompt her to agree, which she did. "Alright, brat, three months from now I'll be laughing out loud remembering how you failed miserably."

(Gotcha.) Mikhael nodded, looking confident as he kept up the act. "I'll be looking forward to a fortuitous long-term relationship with you, miss advisor-san~"

After the matter was over, the basic equipment given by the guild to newbies was given to him. After that, Mikhael watched in amusement as the woman walked away, the wolf tail on her round ass swishing in annoyance because of the bet.

Mission accomplished: leave a lasting impression and shatter that aloof and hard facade. Now he just had to win the bet and take his sweet time getting to the beauty's heart.

[The great system wonders how such tricks of the irredeemable pervert called little user seem to really work... the world sure is weird... or are the women?]

Almost reaching his current destination, Mikhael shook his head with a helpless expression. (What can I say, my face does part of the work and my strategies make sure of the rest.)

[The great system feels that a certain magnificent being regrets adjusting your appearance according to Adam's looks and her own personal aesthetics, it turned out that she gave a nuclear bomb to a child who was too curious about what the flashy button did.]

(I love you to death too, my dear Miss System.) Sensing the scent of jealousy, Mikhael discreetly winked at the great being hidden behind the system.

[ ... ]

"Well, now..." Mikhael looked at the place where he was more closely. A room beneath Babel with a hole leading to the dungeon surrounded by a spiral staircase.

Walking down the steps like other teams of adventurers, he felt like he was entering the jaws of a giant beast. One truth was reminded to him, this dungeon, the mother of all monsters, was VERY alive.

After getting rid of the uncomfortable feeling, the stairs finally ended. What was in front of him was a wide hallway with green walls like those of a cave with some lights.

That path was popularly known as the Beginning Road. Along with the reality that his adventure had only just begun, his legs traversed the halls of the dungeon and finally, he encountered his first enemy.

"Fuck! You, my friend, were really not blessed at birth!"

There stood a goblin in front of him. Only pure violence filled the eyes of the green humanoid as he quickly approached the young man. Who began to dodge his attacks again and again, as if dancing around the bloodthirsty monster.

"I see why they call them the weakest monsters…" With a kick, the monster's balance was thrown off. A crescent-shaped arc was drawn in the air with its neck on it.

"They're not even good for warming up…" Mikhael scrunched up his face. His right hand flicked the sword to get rid of the blood of the decapitated monster. It was a bit… unnatural, too easy.

The goblin's corpse exploded into ashes upon its death. The magic stone that served as its heart was taken and put into the inventory, as were the next few.

[This great system wonders what kind of things you were expecting, it's just the beginning of the dungeon, one that the little user is simply too overqualified for…]

Mikhael lowered his head, dodging an attack from the War Shadow. Spinning in the sole of his foot, he killed that scoundrel by swinging the sword at its neck.

"I don't know." He moved to the side to let the remaining War Shadow pass, a dark humanoid monster with three sharp claws that were of no use when he stabbed them.

"I feel like I'm in a game and I've leveled up to the maximum possible level in the prologue, so I've already reached the first level 9 boss with a level 15... or something like that, hahaha"

Along the way he had already killed kobolds; dog-headed monsters that seemed to have rabies or something, a dungeon lizard; an intelligent bastard with whom he played a staring contest. His current location was the seventh floor, whose walls were a lighter green than the first floor.

Then, while chatting with the system, Mikhael reached the 8th floor. The scenery changed drastically there. The ceiling was a meter higher, the hallways were narrower, as well as filled with brown moss, all of it illuminated by a light from above.

Sensing something, Mikhael dodged to the side. The air was cut right at his previous position by another Shadow War. This one, however, was clearly much stronger.

No, it wasn't one. Multiple Shadow War from the 8th floor surrounded him. They were even being born again and again from the broken walls of the dungeon that gave birth to the monsters.

"Ha...hahaha...hahahahaha."

The young man saw them and started laughing. His laughter grew louder and louder, echoing between the walls of the dungeon. He raised his gaze more and more fiercely and at that moment... he advanced.

"Bastards! That's what I'm talking about! Show me the meaning of that rumored adventure I heard about before!" The first Shadow War approached fiercely... but what he received was an even more ferocious attack from his enemy.

"It's still not enough!" Mikhael put all his strength into the hilt of the sword stuck in the violent monster, destroying its stomach by swinging it to the side.

He began to block the attacks with the skill gained in the previous floors. His feet spun as he danced and constantly dodged while his eyes glowed to "see" it all.

"It's still not fucking enough!"

The claws of one of the war shadows managed to leave a cut on his body but he only received a decapitation in response from the young man whose smile was almost manic.

The metallic shine of the sword shone amidst the claws that were waving to take his life. That was exactly what he was looking for: an unparalleled emotion, a fierce fight.

Every cell in his body screamed in the middle of the battle, the fact that he was alive as well as that hunger for victory. Abandoning defense, the war shadows launched themselves in a frenzy forward to end the life of the young man.

"That!!!, That's exactly it!!!, HAHAHAHA."

When his sword finally broke, when it seemed like the monsters finally won after losing two dozen of them. He punched. Yes, he punched them with just his fists.

Amidst the perplexed gaze of a certain existence, the young man began to violently strike the monsters' magic stones. At times, his arms moved like a sword.

Putting all his strength behind each strike, he tensed his body, using every muscle to intensify each attack. Meanwhile, the sclera of his eyes turned black and his pupils shone with a silver light mixed with The blue light of future sight.

"This is the fucking best!!!, Keep coming for me!!"

Mikhael brandished his arms like swords and at times his legs like spears, each time several of the monsters were torn to pieces amidst the heat of battle.

Was it fear? Exactly what was it that was reflected for a moment in the eyes of the last war shadow? What was that emotion engraved in it is a soul when a fist filled it is field of vision, leaving those sinister eyes as it is last memory?

"Fuuuuuu..." Mikhael exhaled hot breath, his blue eyes already back to normal. Sitting on the ground for a moment, he looked at the dozens of magic stones around. "I think... I think I overdid it a bit... Luckily I have the healing potions that Miach gave me... what a great guy, hahaha."

Thus, like that ended the young man's first trip to the dungeon. A feeling of satisfaction was reflected on his face as he set out on the way back home and get that date with Hestia.

But unknown to him, a head timidly peeked out from a corner blinking as he left, bright eyes watching him, before beginning to head home as well.