Chapter 21: Invitation, Shopping, Divine Chaos, and Dungeon Chaos

Whatever the reason, the reality was that Aqua, as a Goddess, probably should attend an important social event like this to start establishing some presence. And she couldn't go looking... well, like they usually looked.

He sighed internally. The Dungeon would have to wait. He quickly calculated his financial situation: the 50,000 Valis left after buying the house and furniture, plus the roughly 200,000 Valis he estimated he had earned in the last two intense days of hunting on the tenth floor. A total of 250,000 Valis. It was a substantial amount.

"Alright," he said, putting the invitation away. "If you're going to this party, you need proper clothes."

Aqua's eyes lit up instantly. "New clothes?! Party clothes?! Yes! I need to look absolutely divine!"

And so, Hachiman's plans for the day changed drastically. Instead of descending into the dangerous depths of the Dungeon, he found himself being dragged by Aqua through Orario's more elegant shopping districts. He took her to a shop that looked "relatively luxurious," hoping to find something decent without going bankrupt. Aqua, however, dove into the environment with the fervor of someone who hadn't seen new clothes in centuries. Flowing dresses, shiny shoes, exotic perfumes, discreet jewelry – she wanted to try everything. Hachiman just watched, stoic-faced, as the Valis dwindled. In the end, they chose an elegant light blue dress, matching shoes, a perfume that smelled like "celestial nectar," and some accessories. The final bill: a painful 150,000 Valis.

'One hundred fifty thousand... for one night...' Hachiman whimpered internally, feeling the classic imaginary cold sweat drop. 'That's almost the price of the house... Goddesses definitely spend more than normal women.' But he paid. Aqua was radiant, and he had to admit, she looked stunning in the new outfit. At least she wouldn't be embarrassed. 100,000 Valis now remained.

The afternoon passed quickly with the final preparations. When evening arrived, Aqua was ready, emanating an aura of nervous excitement. Hachiman, on the other hand, felt the call of the Dungeon. "I'm going... out for a bit," he said as Aqua admired herself in the mirror one last time. "Have fun. And please, try not to get into any fights with other goddesses."

"Don't worry about me! I'll be the picture of perfection!" she declared, before floating out the door towards the Ganesha mansion.

As soon as she was gone, the atmosphere in the house changed. Hachiman felt the tension of the forced shopping day dissipate, replaced by the familiar anticipation of the Dungeon. He put on his armor, feeling the comforting weight of the metal. He projected Kanshou and Bakuya, the twin blades seeming eager in his hands. The twelfth floor awaited him.

Scene cuts to Aqua.

Aqua arrived at the Ganesha Mansion and was amazed. The place was huge, opulently decorated, filled with gods and goddesses in their finest clothes, members of important Familias chatting and laughing, and lively music filling the air. Knowing almost no one there, and feeling a bit intimidated despite her bravado, she did what she did best: followed the delicious smell of food. The banquet was spectacular, an endless variety of dishes and drinks. Aqua quickly forgot her social loneliness and began happily stuffing herself in a corner of the bountiful table.

It was while attacking a platter of roasts that she noticed two familiar figures conversing quietly nearby: the small, curvy Hestia and a woman of stunning beauty with silver hair whom Aqua vaguely recognized as Freya. 'Hmm, what are those two plotting?' Aqua thought, but her main interest was still the food.

However, Hestia soon noticed Aqua. Their eyes met across the banquet table, and the rivalry from the previous morning instantly reignited. Sparks seemed to fly between the two goddesses as they exchanged hostile glances. Before they could start another argument about their respective followers, a third voice intervened.

"Well, well, busty Hestia! Came to beg for food at Ganesha's party too?" It was Loki, with her mocking smile, approaching the two.

Normally, Aqua might have been amused by Loki teasing Hestia, but the memory of what Hachiman had told her – that the Loki Familia was responsible for the Minotaur that nearly killed him – changed her perspective. Seeing a common enemy (and the goddess of the Familia that caused trouble for her Hachiman), Aqua made a surprising decision.

"Leave her alone, Loki!" said Aqua, positioning herself beside Hestia. "At least her Familia doesn't let dangerous monsters escape to kill novices!"

Loki was taken aback by the unexpected defense. Hestia also seemed surprised but quickly took advantage of the unexpected ally. The two lesser goddesses, united for a brief moment against the provoker Loki, began bombarding the Goddess of Trickery with criticisms and mockery about her Familia's recent "oversights." Loki, unprepared for the double attack and perhaps not wanting to draw more negative attention to the Minotaur incident, soon found herself verbally outmatched and beat a retreat, muttering something about ungrateful, busty goddesses. During the confusion, Freya, with an enigmatic smile, silently disappeared into the crowd.

"Humph! We showed her!" said Aqua, triumphant. "Yeah! Serves her right!" agreed Hestia, still a little breathless from the argument.

It was at that moment that Hephaestus, who had observed the scene from afar with an air of resigned amusement, approached them. "What was all that commotion, you two?"

Hestia started chattering about how mean Loki was and how she and Aqua had gloriously defeated her. Hephaestus listened patiently, shaking her head at Hestia's childish nonsense. Her gaze then met Aqua's. "Aqua-san, right? The goddess of that boy... Hachiman."

"The one and only!" said Aqua, proudly.

"I'm glad to see you here," said Hephaestus with a genuine smile. "Your follower has... potential. And courage." She held out her hand. "I'm Hephaestus. It's a pleasure to meet you formally. Perhaps we could be friends?"

Aqua, taken aback by the offer of friendship from such an important and respected goddess (and the 'boss' of the boy who gave her incredible armor), shook Hephaestus's hand, feeling flattered. "Y-yes! Of course! It would be an honor, Hephaestus-sama!"

As Aqua and Hephaestus began to talk more calmly, Hestia saw her chance. With Aqua distracted by her new friendship, Hestia turned to Hephaestus, took a deep breath, and... threw herself to the floor in a deep prostration, clinging to Hephaestus's legs.

"HEPHAESTUS-SAMAAA!" she wailed loudly, drawing stares again. "PLEASE, I BEG YOU! MAKE A WEAPON FOR MY BELL-KUN! A UNIQUE, SPECIAL WEAPON, WORTHY OF HIM! I'LL DO ANYTHING!"

Hephaestus was completely helpless at the dramatic scene. "H-Hestia! Get up! Stop this! It's embarrassing!" she tried to pull away, her face red with embarrassment. "I've already told you I don't make weapons to order like this! And I can't use my Arcanum!"

Aqua watched the scene, eyes wide. Part of her was tempted to do the same for Hachiman. He deserved a special weapon too! But her innate pride and the newly formed friendship with Hephaestus stopped her. Asking for something like that right after becoming friends seemed... wrong. And she wasn't going to humiliate herself like Hestia.

The scene ended with Aqua deciding she had eaten and had enough fun for one night, bidding farewell to Hephaestus (who was still trying to get rid of a tearful, pleading Hestia) and heading home, wondering what Hachiman was doing...

Scene cuts to Hachiman.

Depths of the twelfth floor of the Dungeon. The air was cold and damp, the light even more diffuse and ghostly than on the tenth. Running through the gray stone corridors was a solitary figure in elegant dark armor – Hikigaya Hachiman. But he wasn't exploring; he was fleeing.

Behind him, a chaotic horde of monsters pursued him relentlessly. More than thirty creatures, a nightmare of fangs, claws, and brute force. Huge Orcs roaring, Imps hissing and casting magic, Hard Armor Bats diving from the ceiling, enormous Gold Armored Bicorns crushing everything in their path, and agile, powerful Silverbacks leaping along the walls. It was a hellish sight. 'At least there are no Infant Dragons...' Hachiman thought ironically amidst the panic. The appearance of that rare Level 2 monster would have sealed his fate.

How did he get into this situation? He had descended to the twelfth floor with confidence after Aqua left for the party. Things were going well at first, challenging but manageable encounters with his improved status and twin blades. He was mapping the floor, testing his skills against the local monsters. Then, suddenly, from multiple side corridors, the monsters simply started pouring out. In waves. An apparent 'Monster Party,' an eruption of monstrous activity that caught him completely by surprise and forced him into a desperate retreat.

Now, he fought desperately for his life. Kanshou and Bakuya danced in his hands, blocking, parrying, cutting. His Rank E agility was tested to the limit as he dodged rhino charges and gorilla blows. His Rank E endurance was challenged with every impact the armor absorbed. But there were too many. He was being surrounded.

Retreating into a narrower corridor to try and limit the number of simultaneous attackers, he resorted to a tactic he had begun developing under pressure. "Trace On!" Not swords, but daggers. Simple, basic, quick to project. But as he projected them, he forced an excessive amount of Rank B mana into their conceptual structure, making them unstable. He threw them like projectiles at the advancing mass of monsters. Upon hitting an Orc or the nearby wall, the overloaded daggers exploded into small but effective concussions of bluish energy. Boom! Boom! The explosions stunned the nearest monsters, opened small gaps, knocked Imps out of the air. It wasn't a powerful solution, but it was a desperate crowd control tool.

He alternated between defending with Kanshou and Bakuya and throwing his improvised explosive daggers, retreating slowly, trying to find an exit, a chance to escape. The fight dragged on for what felt like an eternity. His mana was being consumed at an alarming rate, fatigue weighed on his limbs, the pain from the impacts absorbed by the armor began to take its toll.

But finally, after a long and brutal battle, the last monster fell. Hachiman stood in the middle of the now silent corridor, leaning on Kanshou and Bakuya, his chest heaving violently. The floor was covered in monster dust, magic stones, and dark blood. He was alive. Superficially wounded, bruised all over, but alive. And exhausted. Completely and utterly exhausted.

With his last strength, he quickly collected the magic stones – an impressive pile, the only consolation from that ordeal. There were no serious injuries, just bruises, superficial cuts where the armor didn't fully cover, and overwhelming exhaustion. He knew he couldn't continue.

Ignoring the Guild – it was too late and he was too tired for social interactions – he made the long, arduous climb back to the surface and headed straight home. The door was unlocked; Aqua must have already arrived from the party. He ignored her, barely registering if she was in the living room or not. He went straight to his room, dropped the armor on the floor with a metallic thud, and collapsed onto the bed, falling into unconsciousness almost instantly. The confrontation with the horde had taken everything out of him.