4.1 A (not so) Divine Encounter
A/N: You know the drill guys.
Here is a bit of a key:
{this is The Game talking to the MC and also system messages}
"This is speaking out loud"
'This is thoughts'
{{This is Gods saying Godly things}}
-----------------------------------
When Ramiel finally stepped back onto the first floor of Babel a couple of hours later, he had slain another six goblins and four Kobolds, pushing himself over the threshold for Level 2 and completing the quest.
Feeling faintly relieved and slightly disappointed at not spotting the exceedingly beautiful but conversely overbearing half-elf anywhere, he swiftly made his way over to the exchange desk.
There, he dropped the seventeen Goblin stones, eight Kobold stones and three Kobold fangs into the box and while they were being counted, examined the skills that had levelled up as well as the one he gained.
{[Observe](Active) - {Level 5/100(7%) Cost 5MP}
{Warrior skill: [Basic Blade Mastery] - Level 87/100(9%)}
The descriptions for [Observe] and [Basic Blade Mastery] had remained the same but the one for [Presence Detection] had changed with the range increasing to 15m.
{[Presence detection](Passive) - Level 10/100(22%)
Affords the host with heightened perception and spatial awareness within the area of effect.
Effects: Hostiles within 15m of the host will have faint red outlines, even in pitch darkness.}
'It seems the description has changed at some point. Perhaps after I became aware or understood what else was happening, interesting. What a useful skill that one is, though it's a shame the dungeon walls are able to dampen the range.' The young man hummed appreciatively at the skill, his red eyes twinkling. He was hardly able to wait for the larger and more open floors where it would be able to truly display its remarkable utility.
{New Skill Acquired: [Dismantling](Active) - DEX Dependant
Allows the host to remove monster cores and/or parts of the monster with practised ease.}
[Dismantling] was more of an instinctual skill than anything active. All he had to do was have the intent to remove the magic stone of a monster and his body was guided towards the most efficient way of doing so.
The good thing about it being instinctual was that he no longer had to focus entirely on the process, allowing him to freely use his other senses to scan the dungeon tunnels and passages while his hands worked their magic.
Finally, the guild staff finished calculating his haul, making him a total of 3,290 Valis richer.
Ramiel nodded to himself. 'Not bad for my first day. According to Eina, 2500 Valis would be more than enough for a decent meal and a night's stay in a mid-tier inn.'
Pocketing his earnings, the young man headed to the changing rooms, took a quick shower and promptly departed from Babel to find somewhere to eat and check his new stats in peace.
He managed to find a small cafe tucked away in an alley just off of the Main Northern Street that was empty sans an elderly couple enjoying some tea. Here, he took off his backpack, his jacket and unbuckled his sword before settling at a table in the corner.
A motherly looking middle-aged woman welcomed him with a smile and a wave as he did so.
The cafe itself was simple but clean, the tables were polished wood, the chairs looked to have homemade cushions and the mouth-watering scent of freshly baked bread wafted throughout the place.
Ramiel let out a sigh of contentment as he sank back into the surprisingly comfortable chair and lazily grabbed the menu, idly selecting a dozen dishes to take away.
After a few minutes, a predictably blushing young girl of around sixteen who looked similar to the middle-aged woman came to take his order of a meat sandwich and some tea and was surprised when he ordered another ten-odd different meat and vegetable dishes to take away, even offering to pay for the wooden bowls and plates or return them another day.
At one point, she looked as if she wanted to protest but he just gave her a million-dollar smile that left the poor girl a stuttering mess and ultimately caused her to tag her mother in.
Several minutes of negotiation later and the young man once again found himself alone at his table with his wallet a thousand Valis lighter.
He gingerly stretched out his arms and legs, groaning in satisfaction at the muscle burn. 'It's been a while since I felt a burn like this, I wonder why it hasn't healed off though.'
{You have pushed yourself beyond your limits +1 to STR}
'Well, I guess I know now… Let's have a look at all the notifications then.''
…
{Quest Completed!}
A Gamer's First Steps: The Basics
Enter the Dungeon as you are and reach Level 2 by the end of the day
Rewards: 100Exp, + 1 Gacha Token
{Quest Completed!}
Monster Hunter: Goblin Slayer (I)
Kill Goblins: (17/1)
Rewards: 5Exp
{Quest Completed!}
Monster Hunter: Goblin Slayer (II)
Kill Goblins: (17/10)
Rewards: 50Exp, 1x Basic Potion (HP/MP/SP)
{Quest Completed!}
Monster Hunter: Kobold Killer (I)
Kill Kobolds: (8/1)
Rewards: 7Exp
…
'Nice to know there will be hidden quests. Claim that Exp and make it an SP potion.'
…
+162Exp, +1 Gacha Token, 1x Basic Stamina Potion
…
{New Quest!}
A Gamer's First Steps: The Foundation
Reach level 5. Time limit: 72:00hrs
Rewards: 1000Exp, +1 Gacha Token
{New Quest!}
Monster Hunter: Goblin Slayer (III)
Kill Goblins: (17/100)
Rewards: 500Exp, 1x Low Potion (HP/MP/SP)
{New Quest!}
Monster Hunter: Kobold Killer (III)
Kill Kobolds: (8/10)
Rewards: 70Exp, 1x Basic Potion (HP/MP/SP)
…
'Okay, that was a pleasant surprise, I should be almost level 3 by now. Status!'
…
{Name: Ramiel Gedeon (The Gamer)}
Level: 2
Class: Warrior(2/100) - {Class Bonus - (+1 to CON/STR/DEX per level)}
EXP: (170/200)
Race: Human (Race Bonus - HP/MP/SP = CON/INT/STR x10)
HP: 80 (0.1% regen p/s)
MP: 80 (0.1% regen p/s)
SP: 90 (0.1% regen p/s)
CON: 8 (+1)
STR: 9 (+2)
DEX: 7 (+1)
AGI: 6
INT: 8
WIZ: 4
CHA: 29
LUK: 85
Unallocated Stat Points: 5
…
'Can't let the AGI fall too far behind but I did run out of stamina earlier, so let's go for +1 in AGI, then +1 in STR, +2 to CON and +1 to DEX.'
Making the new status look something like this.
…
{Name: Ramiel Gedeon (The Gamer)}
Level: 2
Class: Warrior(2/100) - {Class Bonus - (+1 to CON/STR/DEX per level)}
EXP: (170/200)
Race: Human (Race Bonus - HP/MP/SP = CON/INT/STR x10)
HP: 100 (0.1% regen p/s)
MP: 80 (0.1% regen p/s)
SP: 100 (0.1% regen p/s)
CON: 10 (+3)
STR: 10 (+3)
DEX: 8 (+2)
AGI: 7 (+1)
INT: 8
WIZ: 4
CHA: 29
LUK: 85
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
…
Ramiel took in a deep breath and his eyes went wide, he could feel an immediate difference!
He felt faster, stronger, fitter, healthier and more in control of his body than ever before but something... just wasn't quite right. His body held an inexplicable sense of discomfort, as if the very air itself was pressing down upon him, constraining a portion of his newfound improvements.
Ramiel somehow knew that he would still be noticeably faster and stronger than a moment ago but with each movement came a slight resistance. It felt as if he were moving through water rather than air.
{I warned you before.
Although the Game is the strongest power system in the Multiverse, this is your 'Game' tailored tutorial world.
If you wish to integrate with your power more intimately, you must use this world's power system as a catalyst.}
'So basically, I need to get a Falna as soon as possible to feel the full benefits?'
{Right.}
Ramiel took out the ashtray, lit up a cigarette and ran a hand through his hair. 'Okay, it's nothing I hadn't already planned on doing.'
I will just need to speed my plans up a little because this already feels pretty uncomfortable and I only levelled up once. I can imagine it would get even more so as I gain more and more stat points.'
{Gonna have to grab the short stack early.}
The young man hummed. 'Let's see if luck is on my side today then. Roll that Gacha!'
{1x Summoner Gem: Zero Two}
"Why!?" He involuntarily shouted out loud, startling the nearby young waitress into shooting him a glare. One that promptly melted away as he turned a charming smile her way and apologised.
Internally... Well internally, he was not at all calm, his heart beating eratically.
'Oh Gacha, why oh why have ye forsaketh me?'
{Dewit.}
'Nopenopenopenopenope!'
'Just gonna put that in the inventory for a good while I think. The last thing I need right now is some pissed off Klaxosaur hybrid gunning for my life because I ripped her away from her Daaarling!'
{It'll be fiiine.}
'...Oh yeah sure, when have you ever tried to mislead me before.'
Pussy.
'Call me what you want, I am so not ready to deal with that.'
'Even if she didn't immediately try to kill me, she is supposed to be extraordinarily beautiful and will definitely draw attention to herself everywhere. The last thing I would want is for her to be mistaken for a monster and hunted down by overzealous adventurers.'
{Hmm, I would probably burn this world to ash if they did that to the sweet little pinkhead.}
'Leaving aside your casual mention of genocide, deicide or most likely both, I could also see myself going all revenge of the edgelord if one of my waifus were hunted down like that and revenge stories are just tacky.'
{Level up to a Third Class Adventurer, talk to Ouranos first and you should be good.}
'Thanks… wait, why are you helping me so much with this.'
I Just... really like the girl ...okay.
…Please never tell her I let you not summon her immediately.
'This isn't like the standard Gamer trope where the summon has met a future version of me and already has undying love and loyalty is it?'
…
'Well, I'm still not ready to take that chance.'
At that point, the food arrived and Ramiel relished in the simple yet satisfying and above all else, homely taste of his meat and salad sandwich. It had been a few years since he enjoyed something home-cooked like this and he made sure to appreciate every. single. bite.
{...Are you seriously crying right now?}
'It was a piece of dust in my eye!'
Alas, the day was moving on, he had things to do, places to be and a Goddess to locate so he proceeded to store the ashtray, reattached his sword, put his jacket and backpack on before standing up and heading towards the kitchen.
There he collected the large box of cooked food, salads and fresh loaves of bread, departing the cafe with a smile and a promise to return in the future.
Once he rounded the corner out of sight from the cafe, he placed the box of food on the floor and glanced around.
Seeing the coast was clear, he stored it in his inventory and started making his way back to the main street, where he once again boarded one of the taxi carts towards the Northern gate.
---------------------------------------------
Around halfway up the main Northern street, there was a large market area filled with clothing shops and stalls that sold daily accessories and noting that it was only around 4pm, Ramiel decided to stop and purchase some outfits and daily supplies.
Without much fanfare, he decided on several sets of sturdy leather clothing to wear in the dungeon along with a couple of casual tight fit tunics and trousers that the female store clerk was all too happy for him to model.
He also picked up many daily supplies, towels, cleaning products, utensils and cookware placing them first into his backpack and then slowly storing those items into his inventory as he made his way through the crowds and kiosks.
By the time Ramiel had located an available taxi cart, the sun was beginning to dip in the sky and his backpack was now full of fresh fruit, meats, eggs (although those went straight into his inventory), vegetables, grains and condiments so that he could use his rusty cooking skills to make a good impression on his soon to be Goddess.
-----------------------------------
As the cart left the clothing district behind, the stalls and shops steadily grew sparser, instead replaced by large residential buildings as the former crowds of people gradually thinned to a trickle.
Time passed by in a flash and Ramiel found himself humming some old ballads from Earth as he relaxed back in the cart, smoking a cigarette while idly watching the scenery pass by. After a while, the number of pedestrians and adventurers began to grow again, walking around in groups of two or three as a new collection of food stalls and taverns lined the streets.
By this time, he had run his way through Total Eclipse of the Heart, Don't Stop Believin', I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing and had finally moved onto a little bit of Hello by Lionel Richie when he caught a glimpse of the purest white amongst all the monotonous earthy colours. The tune died in Ramiels's throat, his eyes went wide and he jumped to his feet, shocking the driver and causing the single horse cart to violently shake in the process.
"Sit. Down!" The man shouted in a gruff voice but Ramiel just ignored him, tensed his legs and jumped down onto the street rocking the carriage again and making the driver curse as he disappeared into the crowds.
Finding a fresh hundred Valis in his breast pocket the man just shook his head with a laugh and could no longer be bothered to care about it.
-----------------------------------
Ramiel could have sworn he heard a string of curses, vulgar enough to make a sailor blush, followed by a full-bellied laugh and an equally loud cry of "Youth!" thrown after him.
The young man, however, could only think of pressing onwards to one of the stalls ahead as he pushed his way through the crowd of civilians and adventurers alike with an almost single-minded focus.
Finally, he broke through the throngs of people, entered into a side street lined with different food stands, the air thick with the scent of spicy fried potatoes, and there she stood…
She was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon, even Eina with her supernatural elven charm still missed out by a long shot. Everything about the woman tickled his fancy, her short stature, her voluptuous body, covered only by a slightly dirty white minidress with a blue neck ribbon and a frankly huge cleavage window.
Her cute and youthful face with its small nose and noble features marred with the soot of a hard day's work. Her obsidian black hair, styled into two long twintails and held in place by a pair of ragged blue and white ribbons. There were many different points about her, both good and bad but Ramiel could only utter a single word. "Perfection."
She glanced over in his direction and with those beautiful blue eyes and Goddess above were they absolutely breathtaking. Deep as the ocean and calm as the surface of a lake but something... Something was very, very wrong.
Her gaze swept over him, a fake smile gracing her lips as her hands moved through the motions of cleaning the stall while her eyes watched for any last customers. She had looked right at him but it was as if she hadn't seen anything at all...
At first glance, everything was fine but if someone were to do as Ramiel was and looked deeper, they would be able to tell from her posture and the way her fingers trembled as they mechanically completed the task in front of her, that she was exhausted.
It wasn't so much physical exhaustion as it was mental. The body was willing, going through the motions, even as he watched on with a pained smile, but the mind clearly wasn't present.
He knew how that felt.
Again her gaze swept over his position and he offered a small smile but she didn't even notice him, it was clear that she only did it to keep up appearances, her eyes dim, almost as if she had given up hope.
He also knew how that felt.
The young man watched her finish her work for a while and noticed that when she thought nobody was looking, she would reach a hand up and tug on those tattered ribbons of hers. During those brief moments, her beautiful visage would be marred by a flash of sadness and frustration.
Every so often a customer would loudly call out to her for one of the fried potato snacks and she would serve them with her signature smile and 'joyful' greetings. Unfortunately, both were seldom returned with anything other than indifference or even outright scorn.
Some of the customers were quite obviously small groups of adventurers that she would attempt to draw into a conversation only to be dismissed or leered at in response. Some of them even replied with a few less than savoury comments as they left the stall while laughing.
In response to this, she would just continue to smile until after they had left and only then would she allow her smile to slip, her bottom lip wavering, her eyes moistening a little before she hastily rubbed them and pushed her feelings under control.
Ramiel watched on, unblinking. He saw it all, and it broke his heart…
It also pushed him towards making a decision that would undoubtedly change his entire life in many ways but once he had internally voiced his desire, he knew it was the right one to make. 'I will take her as my Goddess tonight. She needs someone that cares about her even more than I do.'
{She's kinda pitiful. ...You sure you don't want to go with Freya?}
The young man held a fist up to his chest where little motes of warmth, born from the desire to protect were beginning to take form. 'I'm sure, and there is nothing you or anyone else can say to dissuade me on this.'
{Hey, good for you kid.}
{So, I felt your killing intent earlier and marked those guys who disrespected her… and surprise surprise, they were from the friendly neighbourhood familia of drug addicts.}
{The mark will remain on them so if we see them in the dungeon you will know and you can have a stern 'word' with them.}
'Trouble with the Soma familia finding me already? No, I'm making my own trouble here, they are just full of scumbags and addicts who act like scumbags and addicts.'
Ramiel felt an unexpectedly strong burst of rage at the memory. 'Why does nobody treat Hestia with respect anyway? I mean I know it was the whole plot point that allowed her to fall in love with Bell so quickly and easily but that was anime.'
'Here, in reality, she is still a God. She could literally vaporise the entire lower world with a burst or Arcanum if she was pushed to the edge and felt so inclined.'
{Mortals are foolish.}
In the time he had been conversing with the being in his head, the woman in question, Hestia, had finished packing away the food stall and secured everything away before handing the keys to an elderly woman. The same fake smile was present on her face as she picked up a small greasy bag of the leftover potato snacks and turned to walk away into a narrow winding alley.
-----------------------------------
When Ramiel looked up and saw Hestia's back disappearing into one of the narrow alleyways, he almost had a heart attack and quickly scrambled after her. Luckily she was exhausted on top of being short and had barely managed to travel halfway down the alley when he rounded the corner. "My Lady! Please wait!" He called out.
Her steps didn't even falter...
The likelihood of him calling out to HER with that term of address didn't even register as a possibility and somehow that distressed him even more than the look in her eyes. His pace quickened, footsteps echoing in the alley and he called out to her again in a slightly louder and much more desperate tone of voice. "Goddess!"
This time she visibly flinched and seemed to take a deep breath before turning to face him, her deep blue globes slowly rising up his body until they met his crimson ones and her cheeks exploded in a blush.
At that point, the familiar presence of a higher being washed over him in an unrestrained manner. Instead of causing his senses to go haywire or make him want to run for the hills, this one made him feel safe and secure. It was like returning to your mother's embrace.
Don't get him wrong, her aura was undoubtedly filled with immense and tyrannical power but it didn't evoke any feelings of fear, nor was it threatening in any way. It caused a similar warmth to his earlier feelings to spread further along his chest as if there were no longer any space between them.
It was as if she was right there, holding him tightly.
He couldn't help himself but close his eyes and sigh in contentment at her mere presence. 'Yes, I made the right choice.'
The small Goddess seemed to recover quicker than he did and being dazed for a few seconds, she managed to get a few words out. "W-were you talking to m-me?"
Ramiel opened his eyes and took a step forward, feeling another burst of pure animalistic rage as she flinched away from him in fear yet on the outside, he remained unperturbed. He swiftly dropped to one knee and reached out for the diminutive woman's hand, planting a kiss on the back before speaking in a relieved sigh of a voice, not much louder than a whisper.
"My Goddess, I have finally found you."
"Ehh." Whatever she was expecting, it obviously wasn't those words and she just cutely tilted her head to one side, question marks all but popping into existence above it.
The only thing that stopped Ramiel from grabbing the adorable creature in front of him and squeezing her tight was the wariness in her posture and the poorly concealed fear in her eyes. Instead, the young man showed her a gentle smile. "Goddess Hestia, I have been looking for you."
Truth
Silence.
Hestia stiffened. she was frozen, rooted to the ground, eyes trained on his, like a deer trapped in the headlights.
Ramiel on the other hand nervously ran a shaking hand through his hair, freaking out just a little as his brain had apparently decided that now was the perfect moment to finally accept the reality of where he was and who he was talking to.
"I, umm... Well, I guess I don't really know how to say this either. I was gonna do a whole thing but when I saw you like that, lost... and tired, it reminded me of myself. When I saw you walking away I knew that I couldn't wait. It felt like I would lose something precious if I didn't act immediately. So, here I am."
Truth
The white-haired young man let out an awkward chuckle. "Wow, I must really be nervous,"
Truth
"I don't normally ramble like that. Sorry."
Lie
A pair of azure eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Ramiel winced. "Okay, sometimes I do ramble like that, it's just you're so beautiful, like the most beautiful woman I've ever met actually and I really didn't want to mess this up."
Truth
Hestia went bright red up to her ears, brought a hand to her mouth and attempted to stammer out something or other when she looked down, only to see that he still had her other hand grasped within his. Unfortunately, the young man had already started another tirade, inching ever closer to some form of self-destruction, and barely even registered what he had said to her.
{What happened to you man, you're being a fucking herbivore.
You're freaking out Loli Big Boobs too.}
It took a less than savoury set of words floating across his vision for Ramiel to actually snap out of it and take stock of the situation.
Hestia didn't look too put out by his machine gun talking, if the atomic blush could be discounted anyway, but she did now look even warier than before. Her eyes were fixated on his with a nervous gaze and that sobered him up completely.
'You're right.'
Ramiel took a deep breath. "Goddess Hestia. Goddess of the hearth, the home and of family. I wish to join your Familia. No, please let me join your Familia!"
Truth
Her eyes opened wide, pupils constricting, searching his stupidly handsome face for any sign of deceit, any way to prove that this was all a hoax but there was none.
The longer she looked the brighter those beautiful azure eyes became.
Slowly but surely, they were filled with an indescribable emotion.
Hope.
Well mostly hope, there was also a good dollop of fear mixed in there too. She swallowed audibly, visibly trembling and opened her mouth. "W-why? Why me?"
This, Ramiel was just realising, didn't seem to be going so great. Well, maybe that wasn't fair, Hestia just seemed so different to how he pictured her. Apparently, this was not an anime or a Light novel anymore. Hestia was real and she seemed to have been mentally pushed to a much worse place than was ever written about. Hopefully, she would regain that bubbly character of hers when they got all this settled.
The young man offered another gentle, if slightly sad smile and slowly, softly, held her hand to his cheek.
"That, my dear Goddess, is the million-dollar question." He said with some flair, pausing a little for suspense. "The answer is quite simple really."
Truth
Hestia took a sharp breath in and squeezed her eyes shut as if waiting to be told that this was all some elaborate joke.
"It can only be you..."
Truth
Her eyes snapped open again.
"I am here, in Orario, searching for something important, something to protect, something to cherish, something that I lost a long time ago but something I hope to regain now that I have a chance. What I want more than anything in this world, my lovely Goddess, is a family and a home followed closely by the absolute power required to protect both of those things from all the dangers of this world."
Truth
Her eyes were transfixed on his. Now, however, they were shining the brightest he had yet seen them and her whole body started to vibrate, this time with what he could only assume to be anticipation. Still, she said nothing for at least a minute.
It was safe to say that Ramiel found the silence that followed both palpable and awkward as the Goddess before him did nothing but bounce up and down on the spot, an almost wild look of excitement on her face.
When it was finally getting to be a bit much, he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh and decided to speak up first. "So, umm... do you accep- ooof!"
Only for a white, blue and black missile to make contact with his chest, sending him tumbling to the floor of the alley.
"YES YES YES!"
The surprisingly warm and extremely soft Goddess replied with an enthusiastic albeit muffled shout as she squeezed and manhandled him with all the strength of a bench vice while rubbing her soot-covered face against his shirt.
Ramiel simply wrapped his arms around the diminutive woman and indulged her completely, earning a pleased humm in response.
They stayed like that for a while, enjoying one another's warmth.
No thought or care for the fact that they were both on the floor of a less than sanitary alleyway or the discarded bag of fried potatoes that had spilt all over the floor next to them nor where the young man's backpack and sword had mysteriously disappeared to.
-----------------------------------
A/N: It has been brought to my attention, on more than one occasion, that people are having trouble with viewing my work on Questionable Questing, with some people even saying that the content is missing.
It's mildly annoying and so I hope to rectify that now through the use of prompts and images. Alternatively, you can just wait for the chapters to be released here...
Firstly, you can use the forums tab to search 'NSFW Creative Writing' -->
From there, you can go through the list of threads (page by page) until you find my thread. It was at around page 10 when I last checked -->
Search for the thread 'Gekai Gamer' while using a 50k minimum word limit like so -->
you can also search DrFellbane in the search bar in the top right (desktop version. For mobile version its the ...) and underneath will be a matched user. From there, you select the information tab and click on 'All Threads By' -->
Hopefully, this will solve any problems for I shan't be repeating it.