An Unrecorded place

Ultra chunky chapter, also, beach episode part 2 should be releasing soon.

Peace!

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—

/Around an hour or so later…/

'As the sky began to darken with the moon taking over the dark skies, Silver could be seen sitting on a simple sofa next to a fireplace, leisurely reading a book for Bell, who by now had already fallen asleep soundlessly.'

/Shine.../

'Atop his head, a faint ball of light illuminated the pages of the books, glimmering weakly like the stars in the sky.'

"... And he returned home to meet his princess, the Hero let go of his Sword, placing it next to his beloved's staff, thus began their life together, the end of their first adventure and the start of many others."

"Thus they lived, happily ever after…" Silver said in a low tone as he closed the book

"The end."

"ZZZzzz…"

"Already asleep huh..."

It's not that far in the night and he's already out cold, but it's to be expected.

"When you live in the city it's hard to notice it... But I forgot how quickly the sun goes out while living in the countryside..."

Although the sun has just fallen, the Village is already pitch black.

This isn't Orario, the city that stays lit even in the night...

Here, people wake up before the sun and go to sleep when the moon comes up… Because there is little to do at night.

And anything that gives light at night is a resource they can't throw away so easily… Besides, there isn't much to do at night anyway, so better to go to sleep instead.

As for poor Bell, he was worked hard from early dawn till dusk before filling his stomach with food… I would get sleepy too if I were him.

Above that, he's used to go to sleep with a story… Guess that's where I fit in.

I do have some issues with how comfortable he's become with me… But that's not really a problem to be solved now.

He's too quick to trust others… But a child shouldn't be worrying so much about such things.

In an ideal world, they shouldn't have too... 

'Thinking of that, Silver checked the book one more time, opening it on chapter one.'

Since I have the time, I might as well read it while I can... And make sure to record these other books as well.

If everything goes as planned, I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, and considering I'll be going out there, these books will do well for me.

Thinking about that… It should be around here somewhere…

/Flip flip.../

'Silver began to flip the pages of the book quickly, going over dozens of verses at high speed as he sought something…'

Where is it… ?

Not here… Not here…

"...!"

Aha… Found it.

'A story long forgotten, a beast sealed in stone by Ancient Maidens, the representatives of the Gods, as it could not be slain even by their fearsome powers...'

'Antares, one of the Great Beasts of the Ancient times, the undying monster, the beast of disaster that brought destruction to untold civilizations, together with many others scattered away in the sands of time before the three Great Beasts were born.'

/Flip…/

'As Silver flipped through the pages of the story, he quickly came to understand that this story wasn't one of growth, nor one of self-discovery, much less one of understanding.'

'This was a cold story, one of defeat and acceptance, a story to make all remember that Heroes didn't always win in the end, and even if they did, their end may not be as sweet as one may wish, making it a bad ending in a way.'

'And if that wasn't enough, not all stories had Heroes in them, as more often than not, none would rise to take the role.'

'This story narrated the destruction and chaos in Antare's path as it decimated everything and all that tried to halt its path, eventually leading to its encounter with several maidens, leading to a catastrophic clash that only served to strengthen the beast.'

'Antares could not be killed, not by the Maidens… Maybe only at first.'

'The beast grew with each strike it took, and by the time its foes realized its powers, it was too late.'

'They instead used their own powers, sealing it away deep beneath the earth before entrusting its safekeeping to others as their duty laid elsewhere.'

'That is how the story ends, the beast remained alive, sealed forever, there was no conclusion to this story, no retribution for the beast, no revenge for the families who lost their own to it...'

'Only a void left for a future Hero to fulfill.'

"... It's a bad story." Silver said out loud as he closed the book with a pensive expression

/Step…/

/Creak…/

"..."

'As he pondered over what he just read, Silver heard the sound of footsteps right outside the house.'

'But he didn't look surprised, he had already felt a presence approaching them long before Bell even slept…'

'It could only be one person.'

/Step…/

"Hm…"

'A tall, slightly burly old man walked onto the living room.'

'He wore traditional clothing a farmer would use, thick pants with shoulder straps, a long sleeve shirt, a pair of leather boots, and a straw hat to cover his rather ragged, short white hair.'

'His beard and mustache were bulky but short, in fact, they were trimmed rather well, stylish for sure.'

'Like Silver, he had a pair of white eyes, albeit his' seemed brighter than even Silver's, seemingly shining, even in the dark… Like thunderbolts in dark clouds.'1

'He had a neutral expression on his face as he entered the living room together with a few pieces of firewood in his hands…'

'But as he looked at the strongly burning fireplace, his expression went from neutral to surprised, somewhat confused as to how the wood had manifested within it.'

'As far as he remembered there was little wood left...'

'Of course, that was Silver's work. The fireplace was in its dying moments when he came back with Bell, but for the sake of reading the boy his stories, he lit it up with some wood he had in his pocket space.'

'Though, this only meant the old man's trip to the woods in the night had now been for naught…'

"Phew… I apologize for overstaying my welcome, I was about to leave." Silver said with a light smile as he carefully got up from the sofa, trying not to wake up the boy

"Hm? Hoho… I don't mind child, read as much as you'd like, words hold meaning within them, but there is only worth in them where they possess a beholder."

"Stories are meant to be shared and remembered." Bell's grandpa replied with a grin as he placed his straw hat on a hanger 

'He looked at Bell for a moment before exhaling out loud, a thin smile on his face as he did so.'

"If you don't mind, were you fetching wood? Bell and his sister were quite worried." Silver asked as he sat back down

"Hoho… I thought we would need more wood to heat the house for the night… But it seemed I worried for nothing."

"I thought it would be a fast trip, but finding an appropriate log took me quite a while." He said with a laugh as he looked at Silver

"Either way… Make yourself home, you're basically family already." He added with a smile as he sat down, pouring a bit of water to himself from a jar on the side

"... You know me?"

"I imagine everyone in the Village does, we rarely have visitors and our most recent batch has been quite enthusiastic with their stories, to say the least."

"It would be hard not recognizing you after the many descriptions given off by your parents, and your eyes are especially unique… That combination is hard to see anywhere else."

"You are a bit taller than I expected though." He said with a pensive expression as he scratched his chin

"Well… I have grown quite a bit since I left… About an entire palm?" Silver asked out loud as he thought about it

My experiments have altered my body considerably, and despite how my latest experiment reversed some of those changes, I'm still quite tall for what they expected me to be.

"Ho… It can happen, especially to boys as young as you." Zeus said with a chuckle as he took one last sip from his cup

/Tac…/

"Hm…"

'He placed his cup back on the table with a light tap before turning to Silver, looking him straight in the eyes for a moment before looking back at his cup.'

"I heard you went to Orario to become an adventurer… How's the city? I imagine it's as busy as always."

"... Peaceful to some degree… It was quite chaotic till a few years back but… Things have calmed down somewhat."

"But every once in a while things pop up here and there… There is no lack of ambitious and playful people in it, be them man… Or God."

"Thankfully, some good people are trying their best to keep things afloat, the Guild isn't doing a bad job at it either."

"Then nothing's changed." Bell's grandfather replied with another chuckle as he closed his eyes, memories flashing before his eyes

"... You talk as if you were there, have you ever visited it?" Silver asked in a low tone as he looked at the crackling fire

"If I have visited it?... Well… Can't say I haven't, being as old as myself you end up seeing and hearing all kinds of things…"

"Although… At the same time… I barely went anywhere." He said in a deep tone as he looked out through a window

"..."

"Either way, I don't think this is the time for us to have such conversations, it's quite late after all." He said as he got up from his seat

'He approached Silver, picking up Bell gently from the sofa.'

"I would hate to wake these two up, the gal herself has quite the personality, she'll tear me apart if I wake her up right now."

"And after a walk in the forest, I can't say I have the energy to read another story for the lad if he wakes up too, hoho!" He said with a laugh as he walked to a door nearby

"Make sure to close the doors once you leave as it's quite chilly outside, you're welcome to stay too since it's rather dark by now; I'm just afraid there aren't many beds left, but if that's not a problem, the fireplace is all yours."

"Stay for as long as you'd like, I'm sure these two would love that."

"It may not look like it, but the gal sees you quite highly, the stories of what you used to do inspired her immensely... She just has some difficulty showing that off... Just like someone I used to know Hohohoho!..." 

"They say blood is as thick as it can be... I couldn't agree more." He said with a light chuckle as he left the room, leaving Silver behind with his book

"..."

There's much to talk... But as he said, not now...

...

'In the end, he remained silent as he saw the old man go, glancing back at the book as he heard the sound of a door being closed behind him.'

"... I should take my leave as well." He mumbled out loud as he put the book back in place

I'll come back for these, the night is still long and I have a lot of energy, but there's something I must do first.

'After he finished cleaning after himself, Silver left the wooden cottage, taking a step into the dead of the night.'

'The moon was high and bright yet the night was dark and silent.'

'Even so, Silver had no difficulty moving around.'

'Maybe it was part of the 'test', or they did it because they felt he needed a good scolding...'

'But in no time at all, Silver arrived at his grandparent's house.'

...

'A few meters into the woods next to Silver's parent's home was another relatively small wooden house with a small garden full of exotic flowers next to it.'

'This was the home of his mother's parents, Misty and Lington. The old Wizard and the retired Assassin. Or "blade for hire" as he would say from time to time.'

'The garden itself wasn't actually composed of pretty flowers but deadly plants and herbs strong enough to overdose an ordinary person if ingested, sometimes even if touched.'

'Such unusual plants were hard to find in the Dungeon, but on the surface, they were as deadly as they could be, even if these were weakened strands from growing on the surface.'

'As always, his grandmother didn't seem to care about her surroundings... Though she did have the ability to deal with most issues regardless...'

/Knock knock.../

/Creak.../

'Answering the door was an old man with a gentleman's face, thin and sharp together with a simple mustache.'

'He had a serious expression on his face, nothing out of the ordinary, but having lived with him for 18 years, Silver knew better.'

'For this retired assassin, few were the times he would look like that. He was serious, really serious...'

'He was in trouble.' Was what Silver determined as he saw his face

"We've been waiting for you." Lington said as he gestured for Silver to get inside

"Sorry, for being late... I had to put Bell to sleep... The traditional way..."

Looks like I won't be getting out of it in one piece this time.

"Of course, the night is long, being a little late isn't an issue."

"..."

He's not even making light jokes... Looks like he's brought back his "Work" face.

'An assassin needed multiple faces just as everyone else.'

'A face when facing their employees, a face when walking on the streets, a face when slitting the throat of their prey...'

'Faces with clear goals, deeper than the faces an ordinary person would place before meeting their friends and family...'

'In Lington's case, Silver could see no emotion in the old man's eyes, it was a really good face, nothing unexpected from a top-class Assassin of the past.'

/Clack!/

'As Silver got inside, Lington closed the door behind him, locking it in an almost dramatic way, making Silver stop to look at him before sighing and walking deeper inside.'

'Following the hallway and turning right led Silver to a wide room where he saw his grandmother, Misty, and his other grandparents sitting around a weak bonfire.'

'But instead of smiles, the atmosphere was so chilling Silver felt the fireplace was freezing in the room instead.'

"You all wanted to talk with me?" He asked lightly as he tried to keep a somewhat positive expression

"Yes dear... Here, sit." Ullia said with a light smile as she patted a chair next to her

"..."

I feel as if I'm about to enter a courtroom...

"Would you like something to drink? We don't have much but I've boiled some tea for you."

"Oh? Thank you very much I'll have it... I already spoke quite a bit."

I drank some water but I won't deny some good tea... Besides, I miss this taste...

/Step.../

'Silver approached the table...'

/SHUAA!!/

"!"

/Grab.../

""...""

/Silence.../

'Suddenly, as he was about to sit down on the chair and grab the teacup, feeling relaxed and with his guard momentarily down, Silver had every hair in his body rise as his vision flashed with light.'

'Before him, he saw five very sharp nails claw toward his face like bullets cutting through the air!'

Meanwhile, behind him, he felt a deep coldness threatening to reach his nape!'

''He knew what that feeling was, there was a blade quickly reaching his neck at speeds beyond anything an ordinary person could even process!'

'He reflexively replied in kind, raising his hand and blocking the strike before him while lifting a shield to block his neck...

/CRACK!/''

"!"

'But to his dismay, the invisible shield he raised was immediately broken by the blade. However, given the speed it moved, Silver let go of blocking the strikes and instead opted to sidestep.'

/SHUAAA!/

'He was so fast that even his grandparents had difficulty following him, and in the end, as if to add insult to injury, Ullia's claws were still promptly halted as Silver held her wrist.'

'This left everyone in complete and utter silent shock!'

'Silver, their little kid, the brat who not so long ago struggled to fight even Goblins had now kept up with their speed, evading and grabbing their blows?!'

'Even if they were old, they were once First Class adventurers! Ullia for the most part... Lington never reached that Level. Not because he didn't have the talent but because he never went to Orario.'

'A Level 4 assassin was one of the most fearsome beings the world outside of Orario could fathom, there was little room to grow when the world was at your feet...'

'That was how most Heroes outside of the city saw and experienced the world, it was no wonder their world views were shattered whenever they stepped within it.'

""...""

'When everything ended, silence came to the room again as Silver realized what he had done and what they were trying to achieve.'

"Crap..." He said out loud as a bead of sweat fell from his forehead

I acted on impulse...

"So it's true." Ullia said deeply as she exhaled, causing Silver to let go of her, concerned and fearful for having put too much force on his fingers

"I-I'm sorry, did I hurt you? I..."

"Sush now boy, I'm old... Not falling into pieces." Ullia replied with a chuckle as she adjusted her shirt again

'She looked back at him before pinching his cheeks and hand, as if trying to confirm if he was truly her grandson.'

'In the end, she touched her own arm, letting out another sigh as she sat down again.'

"Huu... Oh dear, I think I worked these old bones of mine a bit much, I should've stretched a little before doing that." She complained as she moved her arm around

"Humph... I told you to not do much, you're not as flexible as you once were." Saphos said on the side with a grunt as he shook his head

"Thank you for your very mindful concern, baldie." 

"Tsk!"

'While they bickered with one another, his grandfather approached him from behind, a clear remorseful expression on his face as he looked at his hands.'

"... I'm sorry son, I didn't want to give you a scare."

"I... I've never held my blade against family."

'Silver didn't know why, but it was almost as if he was trying to apologize for even doing it when in truth, Silver barely minded it at all.'

'As unexpected as it may be, or as expected as it should be, Silver's opinion of him was of great importance to Lington... Extreme even.'

'Because he was one of the few things that brought warmth to his life.'

"This shall be the first and last." Lington said on the side as he placed down his prized dagger, feeling deeply regretfully he even tried swinging it at the boy

"I don't mind... But don't do it again, my neck's still cold... Somehow..."

'Silver tried to play it cool, but he still ended up smiling awkwardly.'

/Chuckle.../

"That's the effect of my Skills... It's been a very long time since I've heard of their effects... Sometimes I forget they're even there... It reminds me of the past..."

"Around 50 years to be exact, a few days after we first met." Ullia said with a small smile as she looked at her husband

"You thought I was going to sell you off to your pursuers so you tried to threaten me." 

"Ah... Yes, that day... Everyone else I've used this on ever since then never lasted enough for me to hear what they thought about it." He said with a faint smile, as if those were good memories of his past...

"..."

That isn't something they should be remembering fondly off!

Ahem... Anyhow... That chill I got... I've never experienced it before, but it's quite the dangerous Skill to have.

Grandfather's Skill allows him to bypass most Magical Barriers when he's striking from the shadows like that, and since my Plasmids are technically magical constructs... 

Should I be happy he's old now?... And that he's my grandfather?

"Now's not the time to linger in the past. The night is long, but it won't last forever." Saphos said on the side as he tried to stir the conversation onwards again

"Right, we should focus on what's important." Misty added as she gestured for Silver to sit down already, and he did as he was told

"Let's not waste too much time here then... Boy, what is your current Level? Don't lie, only speak the truth."

"Level... Level 4...." Silver replied with a sigh as he knew there was no other way to keep quiet about this

"I became Level 4 not that long ago."

""...""

/Silence.../

"Just how... How did it become like this?" Misty asked as she looked at him, her expression heavy and tense

'She expected many things from him, she would've accepted it if he said he became Level 2 over 8 to 9 months of adventures, after all, he was an exceptional child...'

'But that number got a bit inflated hasn't it?'

"Well... One thing led to another, a fight here, a skirmish there, a monster party taken down..."

"Eventually, I became Level 4." He added with a shrug as he tried to play it off

"Don't try to play dumb, an excuse like that would only work had it been half a decade since you became an adventurer, and in your case, it has barely been a year." Ullia said as she made it clear she wouldn't be accepting half-assed answers

"What did you do outside for this to happen?"

'Now that was the question... Better put, what hadn't he?'

'Killed a Goliath, fought a strange mutated person, created an Irregular Minotaur, fought two families in a War game for the sake of his Goddess, confronted the shadows of his grandparents' past, hunted dangerous monsters in the Dungeon, found strange talking monsters, trained with the Gods, faced terrorist organizations, killed dozens, incited another War game for the sake of his mortals...'

'And a few more things in between...'

"Erm... It's complicated... And a long story... Not that long but 'wide'..."

I've been pretty much doing something every day to the point every week I had something noteworthy going on.

We'd be here for the entire night and the next day's if I began to share it with them...

"Would that explain the two Goddesses you brought with you?" Saphos asked as he raised an eyebrow, though it was clear he was having some fun with that question

"Yes, it would... To some degree..." 

'Silver was a bit awkward as he tried to answer that question, trying to be vague about his relationship with them, not because he wished to hide it, he was just embarrassed to say it out loud.'

'Ball of Adamantite would be needed to say he was pursuing two Goddesses romantically at the same time...'

"What about a certain 'War Game', I've been hearing about?" Ullia asked as she tapped her sharp fingernails on the chair's table

"..."

... Which one?... Uhh... I'll keep the most recent one out of the story.

I imagine some rumors may have circulated out of Orario by now, though what they know is likely everything my grandfathers saw when they visited the city a few months ago.

Whatever happened afterward is... Not relevant for today's endeavors.

"Yes... Yes it would..." Silver replied after thinking about his answer

It was quite the mess... Apollo trying to cause trouble and Tityous is a douche while trying to grow his forces in secret to fuel some sort of stupid plan... The War game ended pretty neatly but he got me quite worked up due to his... Perversion.

Anyhow, whatever reasons he may have had, be they serious or not, he's better left off in heaven. I heard most of his Familia is doing fine now, despite being scattered around, his captain has grown the most under Hermes' care.

As for his Manor, after a few repairs, it's as good as new.

/Pour.../

"Are you going to start explaining or do you need more tea?" Misty asked as her voice grew heavy and somewhat commanding

'She began pouring tea for Dale, and her expression was so adamant he feared she was going to just let it overflow if he chose to ignore her.'

"I..."

"Now now, don't be so heavy on the kid, we came here to see if he was alright, not to mentally torture the lad." Saphos said as he patted Ullia's shoulder, trying to calm her down

'On the side, Lington did the same to Misty.'

"We already discussed this before, not now." Ullia said as she pushed Saphos' hand away

"Ahem, we never determined how to conduct this conversation, and I abide by what I said before, there's no need to villainize him." He added as he looked at his wife

"I'm not villainizing him." 

'She tried to retort, but it seemed even she found it hard to believe her own words.'

"You are, stop trying to make a fool of yourself, he's no child anymore, take a look at him again and treat him like the man he is."

"..."

'Ullia turned to look at Silver, from head to toe, she looked at him slowly before letting out a sigh and closing her eyes, taking a deep breath before saying:'

"Are you in trouble? Injured in any way?"

"No, I'm financially stable and able to make enough money to support my familia on my own." Silver replied slowly but clearly

"How are your studies regarding your... Abilities? Any side-effects worth mentioning?" Misty asked as she also calmed down

"No, as my Status grow, what I can do with them only seems to increase, there's nothing of concern to keep an eye on."

"Aside from my inability to perform ordinary magic that is... My head still hurts whenever I try to chant even the most basic verses." 

"What about your training, have you neglected it?" Saphos asked as he took this chance to speak

"I'm okay, I'm currently training with an acquaintance, an exceptional teacher, and a good friend as well, everything's going fine."

"... Have you killed anyone so far?" Lington asked as his eyes grew cold

"... Yes."

"Did they attack first?" Ullia asked as she frowned as well

"Yes."

"Then it doesn't matter." 

'Like that, the subject was dropped in its entirety, it was clear none of them seemed eager to speak about it now.'

"... I..."

'As silence took over the room again, it seemed Ullia wanted to say something, but it was having difficulty putting it in words.'

"... She wants to ask if you're willing to share with us your story, as although it's yours to write and thread, being an adult of age and fully able to take care of yourself, we still worry about you." Saphos said as he closed his eyes, knowing his wife's stubbornness far too well

"... It's not that I don't want to share it, but it's that it's a long story that has a lot of... Details to be explained."

"If you all don't mind, I'll share it when I'm back, I'll be returning after a few weeks at most."

"Where are you going?" Misty asked as she pushed her glasses back

"I'll be traveling across the nearby nations for business and sightseeing... I did work out a little too much recently and my Goddess was making a fuss about it." He said with a small smile

"... Alright." Ullia said as she got up from her seat

"Really?!"

"#!"

/THUD!/

"Why are you so surprised?"

'Ullia hit Saphos' head as an annoyed look appeared on her face.'

"... You're free to goo now, we've asked our questions and we'll wait for your return." Lington said as he patted Silver's head... Although it was a bit awkward due to the boy's height

'He was taller than everyone in the room.'

"Try to return soon, we'll miss you." He said before giving him a hug

"I won't leave right now, we can talk more tomorrow morning."

"Goodnight then, we'll be seeing you in the morning." He said as he opened the door for Silver

"Goodnight."

/Clack/

'Lington closed the door behind Silver, and whatever they talked about after wasn't of his concern... Silver returned to Bell's house immediately after, trying not to eavesdrop on their conversation.'

'From there, he took his seat on the sofa again, resuming his read from where he left off.'

...

/Later.../

'The hours passed as Silver read the thick book, story after story of legendary tales and myths, all available at the pass of a page.'

'He made sure to copy all books and their contents with his abilities before the sun rose in the distance, knowing his time in this little cottage had come to an end.'

'He didn't know when, but their contents would be of use one day, be it now or...'

/Chirp!/

/Shine!.../

"Hm…"

'Eventually, the sun took over the horizon, shining ever strongly across the sky, and with it, the start of yet another day.'

"Already?... Yawn..."

/Poof.../

'With a light yawn, Silver placed the storybook by a shelf before leaving the house as he could already hear Bell's grandfather getting up from bed.'

'And with a short and wobbly step, Silver vanished, leaving behind only the weak, dying fire inside the fireplace.'

…

/Around two hours later…/

/Chatter…/

"... Silver… Are you sure it's okay to leave like that? It feels rather abrupt..." Hestia asked as she looked back at a Village in the distance

"They're all such nice people… I would've never imagined such a place existed deep in the mountains…" Artemis added as her eyes grew soft

"... It's okay, it was only meant to be a quick stop to confirm their condition, we'll see them again when we return." Silver replied with a smile as he looked back as well

'After the sun rose, Silver took the opportunity to sneak back inside his home and prepare breakfast with whatever he found lying around and some other things he had in his pocket space such as cakes and other types of bread.'

'It was no surprise that they all loved the food, especially his parents who never tasted the great culinary diversity of the big city.'

'In a sense, it made them desire to live there, something Silver wished for somewhat...'

'However, now was not the time, since albeit his family living next to him would make protecting them a simple thing, it would also expose them to too much danger.'

'Maybe building a vacation home for them would solve his conflicting emotions, but such future was still far from his grasp, the time would have to wait until he exterminated that which lurked in Orario's shadows.'

'The food also made both Bell and Avia wonder about Orario, but as everyone said out loud, they were still too young to dream about it, no matter how much they wished to visit it.'

'Strangely enough, their grandfather did not make an appearance, it was as if he was actively avoiding them...'

'But aside from Silver, no one would understand why that was the case... In a sense, it was for the best he did it, although it made him feel bad for the old man... So he left a small gift before leaving.'

'As for the present, everyone enjoyed the nice breakfast before wishing them their farewells.'

'It was a bit awkward trying to convince his mother he needed to keep moving, but in the end, everything went well and they moved on with their journey.'

'Before leaving, Silver managed to discuss their future a bit more, after all, their problems were long gone, so if they wanted to they could return to their home Village at any moment and resume their ordinary life.'

'Nonetheless, with a baby in a cradle, things weren't so easy to do… Rubia was also fearfull of the effect changing homes may have on the child, although she knew it would be for the best to leave eventually, given there were little to no children in the Village for their son to grow up woth.'

'And even though Silver could easily transport them all back anytime, in the end, he decided to leave such discussions for when he was back from his trip as it was clear his parents liked the Village and its atmosphere, even if life there was a little harder than back down at the mountain's foot.'

'As for the rest of the Villagers, Silver would visit them once he was back, there was much left to be done still.'

"Once we're back we can stay a little longer, maybe even share some stories with them..."

"But right now, there are some things I would like to do first, and since Tenkai is quite large, I'm not so sure how long it would take for us to achieve it all, and I would prefer if we did not spend too long out there just for the sake of it."

"If possible, I would like to be able to check on them every week or so, even if it means spending an entire day using my Magic to move around, but that's just my wishes..."

"Either way, if we do have the time, you can count on us coming back, otherwise, we'll be back another time." Silver added with a weak nod as he finished stretching his arms

"Speaking of that… Just what are you after? You said nothing so far and I won't take another step forward until you tell me!" Hestia said as she crossed her arms

'Her 'anger' was cute, the way she tried to act like a Boss was unfortunately rather silly…'

"It's just a trip, there are many places I would like to visit…" Silver said as he turned around

"Another opportunity like this may take years to decades to appear, and although that may be the blink of an eye to you both, I'm still not at the point where I can ignore the passage of time like that..." Silver joked out loud as he patted Hestia's head

"There are so many places I would like to see and explore... The Elven Forests, some Kingdoms nearby, maybe even Altena, the center of magic development…"

"The Northern Black Desert, the Southern Golden Desert, and the nations surrounding such areas… And much more."

"On foot, such a massive trip would take years to accomplish even while mounted on one of Ganesha Familia's flying Wyverns, but that shouldn't be much of a problem for us…"

"Wait… Ganesha has flying wyverns for mounts?" Artemis asked as she raised an eyebrow

"Yes, of course, tamed and trained over decades of studies and experiments... I thought it was common knowledge, you never heard their cries whenever you were in the area?"

"It's hard to hear anything when his home feels like a Zoo!"

"Well... Ganesha can be taken as the God of monsters…" Silver said as he touched the back of his head

"... Pretty much all monsters on the Upper and Middle floors have been attempted to be domesticated in some way or form by his tammers over the years."

"There's no one more knowledgable on monsters than his Familia, and with the Guild's approval, Ganesha can conduct any experiment on monsters he deems fit, this includes taking them out of the Dungeon if needed." Silver replied as he looked around

"I do know Ganesha conducts the Monsterphilia… It just never came to me he could be so…"

"Serious?" Artemis said out loud as she cut Hestia

"..."

"Ganesha is probably the most serious God in all of Orario… Maybe only behind Ouranos if you think about it." Silver said with a chuckle as he turned to Hestia

"Well… Ganesha can be serious but…"

"Most of the time he's a goofball, yes, but then again, which God isn't strange most of the time?"

""...""

"But in his goofyness... That is exactly why one should fear him, because while most Gods are relatively face-forward about their feelings, Ganesha's personality hides just how intelligent and capable he truly is…"

"Not that it changes his goofy nature... No matter what, he'll always smile, and that is why he is Ganesha." Silver interjected as he raised his left and right hands

"Why does it feel like you respect him more than me?" Hestia asked with a pout as she grabbed Silver's shirt

"Haha... There are different types and layers for what one may deem as respect..." Silver replied as he evaded his eyes

"I respect Take for his talent and ability to keep his head calm and his thoughts in order, no matter what the situation may be..."

"I respect Miach's eagerness and ability while in the lab... Together with how effortlessly he can sway a lady's heart..."

"Don't respect that!" Hestia exclaimed out loud as she tried to jump onto his shoulders

"O-Ouch, please, don't pull my hair." Silver said with an awkward smile as he let Hestia play around

"Hm... What about me?"

"Eh? Isn't that much obvious?" Silver said with a confused expression as he looked at Artemis

"..."

'Unable to face him, Artemis looked to the side as she blushed lightly.'

"Hey! That's not allowed!" 

...

'After calming Hestia down, Silver said:'

"... Here, the path down the mountain is rather treacherous and full of twists and turns so let's take a shortcut."

"Uhg... Can I opt out of it?" Hestia asked with some lingering fear as she held his hand

"Don't pull too much please." Artemis said with a light smile as she looked at Silver

"Sigh, just when did I ever do you two wrong?... Ever since we began this trip I mean." Silver asked with a smirk as they vanished from their location

"Good thing you said that, I have list ready just in case." Artemis said with a teasing smile as she looked at Silver

"Haha... Maybe later."

"Hum... Maybe I should write one too..." Hestia whispered to herself after she heard Artemis' words

"..."

…

/Scribble…/

/Scribble…/

'Meanwhile, inside his "ostentatious" home constructed in his figure, a masked God could be seen writing continuously on a long parchment with a feather pen together with piles of papers mounted on each side of his table.'

"..."

'He silently, wrote, until something seemed to spark his attention, his ears perking up as he turned his face to look at the side…'

"Hm?... Ganesha is currently performing his duties as head of the Familia by filling up the documents he threw aside because he didn't want to do them before... Shashasha..." Ganesha whispered as he looked at the door

"... I know that…" One of his followers replied as he shook his head

Why is he whispering anyway?... Who's he even talking too? That damn bird again?...

/Caw caw!/

'Next to the God, a golden bird cawed weakly, as if whispering as well.'

'Somehow, it seemed to agree with the God.'

"..."

/Scribble…/

…

/Later…/

/Shua…/

'High in the skies, Silver, Artemis, and Hestia sat atop a wooden boat as they navigated across the clouds, enjoying the breeze as pure white clouds passed right above their heads, sometimes close enough for them to touch them.'

'Their speed was incredibly high, so much so the mountains underneath them came and went quickly, vanishing into the horizon within a minute.'

'Because they were already so deep in the mountains, Silver thought it would be better to enjoy the rest of the way like this rather than to walk on foot.'

'It wasn't as fast as their previous method of traveling but it was still fast enough for him.'

'And since teleporting around took quite a bit of his energy reserves, this method could be seen as more efficient as well.'

...

"Hm?"

Smoke?...

'As he flew through the mountains, Silver's gaze fell into the distant clouds.'

'Faint trails of smoke rose to the sky, breaking from within a wide region covered in a faint layer of white mist.'

'They weren't strong but they were numerous.'

That isn't a forest fire, it's more controlled… It's like… 

Smoke from chimneys?

And that mist... It doesn't look like natural morning fog.

People? A Village of some kind?...

A land hidden by mist and fog? I feel like I've heard that before somewhere...

'Being this deep in the mountains, Silver did not remember reading about any settlements around this region, it was one of the reasons why he wasn't paying much attention as he conducted the boat around.'

'There were paths that crisscrossed throughout the entirety of the Beol Mountains leading to all of its corners, but as he said many times before, the mountains are a challenging place to live in.'

'Unless they possess some degree of protection like the Black Dragon scales or by being next to Orario, it was next to impossible to set foot here or maybe even anywhere on the continent.'

'A foreign country was always accompanied by either one or many Familias to provide security and comfort to its people... Unless the deity in question was mentally retarded, like the case for the Ares Familia and their warmonger of a God...'

"Hm..."

We should be about a week's journey from the city, given I had to backtrack a little to reach Bell's Village.

That is… At least from the perspective of a wagon or convoy as an ordinary group of travelers can't cross this entire mountain range on foot… Unless they scavenge for supplies on the way.

Emphasis on ordinary…

How far are we from the city?... 200ish Kilometers? Not quite, it's considerably more… Sigh.

These mountains are incomprehensibly massive, did a God sneeze around these parts or something Millions of years ago?

...

'Driven by curiosity and the desire to explore new lands, Silver had a quick talk with both Artemis and Hestia which led to a unanimous vote to go check the smoke out.'

'Like all Villages they passed by so far, they wanted to see what kind of people lived this deep and far in the mountains and how they had managed to survive such treacherous land.'

'So without much trouble, Silver changed course, steering his "floating boat" towards the distant mountain where the smoke came from.'

…

/Shuaa…/

/Sniff…/

/Land.../

'Gently, Silver let the boat down on the ground in a patch of land surrounded by water...'

"This place… What's going on?..." Hestia asked as she stepped out of the boat

There is a strong... Rotting smell in the air.

"Everything's dying…" Artemis added with a frown as she looked around

Something's wrong, I can see signs of conflict everywhere, there are clear marks of strikes and footsteps on the ground and trees...

"..."

To think there was such a place in the mountains… Books aren't really that reliable huh?

'Hidden by the mountains and the weak mist was an extremely long expanse of land covered by thick, large trees.'

'The ground was covered in murky, deep water, with the trees' roots sticking out from its depths.'

'A swamp.'

There's fog everywhere… It's not very thick but it's considerable, I can't see past a certain distance.

There are signs of civilization all around me, some of the trees seem to have outposts built atop them, watchtowers, likely for monsters... Some already broken beyond use.

But there's one thing these buildings have in common… They're as far from the ground as possible, and for good reason.

The swamp itself… I've never seen something as unwelcoming as this.

I'm used to seeing greenish or even brown water, but purple? It's as if this entire swamp is telling us to get out… And you tell me someone lives here?

/Bubble.../

Toxic fumes are being expelled from within the bubbles that sometimes splash on their surface, and I can tell from a glance the waters are deeply toxic and corrosive.

A tree leaf fell on it and it disintegrated within a few seconds, this is as toxic as a Deep Floor monster's toxin… Incomprehensively fatal for any surface ecosystem.

Any Deep Floor monster is pretty much a disaster, stronger monsters amidst those floors can terraform their environments, leading to even more problems.

I can't tell if this is caused by a monster but if it's not, I would be very keen on studying its source…

/Sniff.../

The air is toxic and the water is poisonous, I can only imagine what the land is like, how can someone even live here?...

In fact, they had to have thrived even, since that outpost was well built with wooden boards and even a stone foundation... That is the only reason why those outposts have yet to fall.

Stone doesn't corrode as easily as wood.

'With those thoughts in mind, Silver kneeled next to the surface of the Swamp, taking out several glass vials as he began taking samples from the water.'

""...""

'Both Artemis and Hestia looked with empty gazes as they saw Silver's inquisitive and interested expressions as he looked at the disgusting and smelly water.'

"Interesting…"

"What's interesting? The only thing I see is a bottle of dirty water." Hestia said out loud as she got closer to Silver

"That is what I see too, and that is exactly why it is interesting." Silver replied without turning back

/Crack.../

"Be careful, don't get too close to the water, it's highly corrosive." He added as he looked at the glass vial break in his hand

It even dug through glass… At least I have some other vials for this purpose.

Quite a strong reaction, generating enough heat to crack the glass.

'With the expectation of meeting and hunting strong monsters on the surface, Silver brought all kinds of studying materials for his 'trip'.'

'Albeit long past him, Silver still had some habits deep within his blood from his days as a researcher.'

'How could he cast away the opportunity of observing and documenting such unusual and rare instances?'

"... That much I can see… But why the interest?" Artemis asked as she closer as well

"I just... Sigh... Why not?" 

"Sometimes the best healing potions are derived from the foulest of poisons, exploring is the basis of an Adventurer isn't it?" Silver asked out loud as he took out his traveling gloves

Though that is just an excuse for me to play around... Why do boys need a reason to grab a twig in the shape of a sword? It's just the right thing to do...

"That is usually the case for materials from the Dungeon due to their magical properties, I can't see how a natural surface swamp would contribute to… What are you doing!?" Artemis exclaimed as she saw Silver stick his right hand in the water

/TZZZZZZZZ!!!!/

"Woah!" Silver said with open eyes as he pulled his hand from the water

'Immediately as he did that, his entire skin fell off, revealing a pristine hand underneath.'

"This is quite aggressive, what a strong Acid… Why are the tree's fine though? Are they resistant to this?" Silver asked out loud as he scratched his chin

""Hey!""

"You can't do that! Have you ever thought of the diseases you might get?!" Artemis exclaimed as she pinched his shoulders

"Ah... What she just said!"

"Haha, don't worry about it, I didn't really stick my hand in it, I'm very much aware of the risks of still water." Silver replied as he put his glove back on

Though this isn't that either.

Anyhow, no way I would stick my hand without some protection, I created a secondary skin coat long before I stuck my hand inside, I just wanted to see how quickly this swamp could eat it.

It was quite fast, even with my natural Level of resistance.

I may not have Abnormal Resistance, but my resistance as a Level 4 adventurer and high Constitution should be more than enough to resist even strong acids on its own.

This can't be natural, this place is worse than a highly dangerous Sulfuric Acid Pool.

/Sizzle.../

"Cough... This place smells..." Silver said out loud as he waved his right hand around

The gases don't seem that dense here, I don't feel much on my skin either... There should be no respiratory problems… But just in case, I'll keep them away from us.

"We should move on for now, see if we can find any natives and get some info on this place." Silver said as he turned to the side

My curiosity is rising by the minute.

"!"

'But suddenly, his skin hairs got up as he felt the water tremble.'

/JUMP BACK!/

'With a sharp expression, Silver jumped back with both Artemis and Hestia in his arms as the swamp water exploded with activity, splashing all around!'

/SPLASH!!!/

/ROAARR!/

"What the…"

'Dozens of strange purplish creatures jumped from the depths of the Swamp!'

'They all looked different from each other, a mess of bones and decaying flesh, corroded beyond recognition, moving in a disorganized and messy way as they crawled towards them.'

'Their flesh had been exchanged to flowing water, a mix between a solid and liquid body, as if a slime-like creature had been shoved inside their body.'2

"..."

'Silver's brain began working at high speed as he thought about his opponents, causing the world to slow down as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.'

... At least a dozen enemies, they're slow, nothing special.

But their appearances… They're not in any way similar, aside from the purple water covering them.

This isn't as per the Dungeon's standard, it usually creates masses of similar monsters, like a species.

There isn't a single monster group that can be as varied as this…

The Dungeon also tends to create biologically accurate creatures, giving them functioning bodies and systems that allow them to live even outside the Dungeon and reproduce, even if their biology causes them to live short lives or strange ones.

Even if they have no biology, like in the case of Undead Monsters like Skeletons, they still seem to have a core to support their movement.

However, I don't think these... Slimes... Belong to the same group... Or possess anything like a Magic Stone inside.

/Raise…/

'In the blink of an eye, Silver raised his right hand.'

/CRUNCH!/

'By closing his hand, he crushed one creature under the intense pressure of his telekineses, causing it to implode as it fell to the ground, motionless…'

/Twitch…/

'However, albeit faint, he could still feel its body twitch.'

"..."

/Turn…/

'Within the same second, Silver moved his hand to the side, pointing his finger at another one of the strange monsters.'

/Flash!/

'A powerful ray of light was emitted from the tip of his finger, burning a hole straight through the body of the monster… But it kept moving.'

'Something's strange.' Silver thought as he looked at the monsters

These monsters are slow and weak, as slow as I would expect a surface monster to be, nothing a Level 2 adventurer shouldn't be capable of taking care of.

But they're unusually resilient, their bodies possess little indication of such prowess but they can still move even while under such severe damage… Like they're some sort of undead being...

For once, even if the Skeletons in the Dungeon look like that, they still have Magic Stones so they're technically "alive"...

But these have nothing, they're literally just moving carcasses.

Their skin is also thicker than expected, and their flesh, albeit decayed, is stronger than appearance indicates...

Unusual for a monster to have such discrepancies in its abilities.

But to top it all, they also possess no discernible magic stone, a glaring red flag that something's amiss.

Finally, albeit vague, I can tell something from their forms.

'To confirm his hypothesis, Silver spread his hands apart as he locked onto another one of the monsters, dissecting its entire body with one powerful telekinetic pull.'

'Within the blink of an eye, all of the water surrounding its body and the decaying flesh and dirt were sent away, revealing a little bit of its mangled body.'

A carcass… I finally understand what's going on.

These aren't monsters… They're fillers of some sort.

Something is killing all monsters in the surroundings, using their bodies as husks and controlling them... And given the strange condition of this swamp, I'll have to assume the monster in question is its source.

Hum... From now on, I have to deem this entire swamp as one entire sentient being.

This is dangerous.

'As the realization of what he was facing dawned on him, Silver's face twisted into a smile.'

/Swing…/

/SLASH!/

'Silver swung his right hand sideways, causing a powerful airblade to slice through the air, bisecting all of the monsters into two, causing them to fall to the ground where they kept twitching as if trying to regain motion.'

"We need to move, if we remain nothing good will happen." He said as he manifested his flying boat again

Despite my excitement, I must first assess the situation before making a plan.

I must find a native of the region.

'He quickly looked at Artemis, pushing her arms down.'

"Don't try to fight them, they're covered in acid, one wrong move and you'll get yourself covered in it, use the bow if needed."

"These aren't monsters, they don't even have magic stones in their bodies so try to knock them down instead of killing them."

"I'll explain the rest as we move to the center of the swamp." Silver said as he pulled Hestia into the boat

"... Alright."

'Artemis looked back at the monsters and the trembling waters of the swamp.'

'Something was wrong, severely so, she felt something amiss with this place…'

'And she was going to find out what it was.'

/Shua!/

'The boat took off into the skies, far from the swamp's reach.'

'As they flew away, the waters regained their calm, and not long after, dozens of fillers extended from within their murky depths, pulling the bodies of the monsters back into the darkness.'

…

.

.

.

Notes