I stepped back onto Babel, my bag stuffed to the brim with magic stones.

And my body once again sore.

"Dammit..." I grumbled and massaged my right arm. "Stupid dogs. All they know how to do is attack with brute force..."

That usually wasn't a problem, but when I had to deal with a constant onslaught for over an hour as kobolds kept spawning...

Even with my gains, I would get sore.

"...I need to build more stamina." I winced as I massaged a sore spot and sighed before lowering my arm.

'Cheep...?' A concerned chirp. In the corner of my vision, I saw the little golden bird look at me.

It wasn't actually there. Because I wasn't sure how people would react to it, I politely asked for it to stick around in the inventory until I called it out after explaining the situation.

The little guy seemed to understand though, and now it was just in that weird holographic state my books were usually in.

I glanced at it and said, "It's fine. Not your fault... Well, it was probably your fault, but I'm the stubborn guy who wanted to fight them properly."

It would have been a simple matter to just kill them off with portal-esque shenanigans, but that would build a bad habit. Instead, I fought them off in melee combat to train.

Knife skills. Dual knife skills. Taekwondo. Karate...

Since I had to face a continuous flow of kobolds, I took the time to practice the fighting skills from the books I read.

It went pretty well in my opinion. I wasn't an expert by any means, but I had a good handle for combat flow now at least. And it was definitely confirmed that Compilation directly translated theory to practice somehow.

Mechanics of how that happened were still up in the air, but it worked.

And it made me really want to pick up a magic theory book at some point. I had my thoughts, but I wanted a proper basis to work off first... which meant I needed to work harder and save up more money to buy one.

I sighed and then made my way to the exchange hall... only to be greeted by a line about a hundred people deep.

Seeing that, I changed my mind and started walking towards the Guild building where I usually met Eina.

A few people glanced at me as I walked past. Probably because of my white hair standing out so much. But since I carried myself well, I didn't get any trouble.

I did sense more than a few people stare at my stuffed bag, but they took another look at me, especially my muscles, and decided against it.

Yay for judging a book by its cover! I *knew* getting buff was a good idea.

'Cheep?'

"Oh yeah. I'm going to go talk to a friend about you, alright? After that, you can decide if you want to stick with me or head out on your own."

'Cheep!' The bird nodded and smiled... well, as much as a bird without a proper mouth 'could' smile.

In the meantime, I pulled out the food Syr gave me from my inventory. Well, I made sure to make of show of reaching into my bag first. After that, I unwrapped it.

Sandwiches... Cheese sandwiches. Pretty basic, but not bad.

I pulled one out and munched on one as I left the tower of Babel.

'Cheeeeep.'

The moment I did, the bird let out a long chirp. Like a sigh.

I glanced at it and saw the little guy staring at the blue sky.

"What, never seen the sky before?"

The bird shook its head. 'Cheep! Cheep cheep! Cheep!'

"...I still can't understand you, but I'll take it that you haven't."

I chuckled and then kept walking. As I did, I saw the little guy spin its head around like a bobble head to look at everything.

Seemed like the little guy never actually did see the outside world before... Then was it really a monster? That reaction wasn't one that a normal bird would have if it was out here...

Then again, it was also too smart to be a normal bird.

...Eh. I'd sort it out with Eina.

Munching on my sandwich, I glanced around at people as I walked.

It looked to be around noon... meaning that I hadn't been in the Dungeon that long.

Though, considering the amount of trouble I got during that time period, maybe that was a good thing.

Anyway, there weren't many adventurers around. I saw a few here and there walking about, probably on a break, but for the most part the people around were normal citizens without a shred of power.

...Still weird to think I could gauge people by an intangible thing as 'energy' now, but c'est la vie. Life was weird like that.

Anyway, normal people.

Making my way down the streets, I noticed a lot of them staring at me.

...Was my appearance really that odd? Or was something wrong?

I frowned and gave myself a quick once over.

...Nope. I was fine. Clothes were in perfect order... Albeit a bit wrinkled and sweaty, and the only odd thing about me was my bag and my knife. But considering that I could see a few other adventurers with even more dangerous weapons and larger bags bursting with coins, it wasn't that.

Eh. Not that big a deal.

Ignoring the looks I got, I walked over to meet with Eina in her office.

xxx

"You *WHAT*?!"

I winced at the loud voice and waved my hand. "Er... It wasn't that bad, Eina. Promise."

"Not that- YOU HAVE A HUNDRED KOBOLD MAGIC STONES!"

"Oh. Was it that many?" I put my hand on my chin, musing about that. "I guess I *was* fighting for a while..."

Eina sighed and sat down at her desk. "I'm starting to regret our relationship..."

"I didn't know we were dating?"

"You know what I mean!"

I chuckled.

We were back in Eina's office with the door firmly shut. It seemed like she had a feeling she was going to get riled up, so she made sure to take precautions ahead of time.

Eina put her arms on the table and massaged her temple. "What in the world is going on...? I didn't even *know* so many kobolds could be spawned on the first floor."

"Yeah. Me neither."

Eina glared at me and said, "And you! Why in the WORLD did you stick around to fight them all!? Didn't you read the warnings in the books I gave you!?"

"Mmhm. An adventurer shouldn't go on an adventure. Unless they want to die."

"So why DID you?!"

"...Because it wasn't an adventure?" I frowned and said, "I mean, kobolds aren't that dangerous."

"They are in hordes of that many!!!" Eina facepalmed and said, "What am I going to do with you? Are you going to try and take out an entire colony of killer ants too when you reach the fourth floor?"

"Please. I'm not that stupid."

"So you admit you're stupid."

"..." I coughed and said, "Anyway, it was fine. I was only on the first floor, and I could have run away if I wanted to. Although it was a lot, it wasn't like they charged after me in a horde."

They learned not to after I shot them down with some metal shrapnel, but I decided to keep quiet about that.

Eina sighed. "...I suppose that's true. And you aren't the reckless sort like some other adventurers I know."

"Right." I nodded. "I know my limits. Today was just a training trip. ended up escalating a bit too much for my comfort, but overall, good haul. Right?"

Eina stared at the pile of magic stones and then looked at my bag. "Speaking of your earnings... Just how did you fit so many magic stones in your bag?"

"Very carefully... is what I'd like to say. But before then, I've got a question for you, Eina."

"What is it?"

"Are 'bags of holding' a thing? Or item boxes? You know, things bigger on the inside than on the outside?"

Eina frowned. "...I don't believe so. If something like that existed, it would be priceless. And if it does, it's probably held by one of the strongest familia as a secret. Why?"

"Ah." I coughed.

Eina froze and then she groaned. "Don't tell me you found one in the Dungeon?"

"Er... No. But my magic lets me do basically that?"

Silence. And then Eina sighed. "...Please be careful, Bell. I don't intend to ask you just how many outrageous things you can do for your own safety, but remember that the gods came down to this world for entertainment. If word gets out about your status or even about that magic of yours..."

"It would get messy. I know." I nodded and said, "That's why I'm being careful. Besides, I trust you to not spill the beans."

"Your trust is too heavy, Bell." Eina sighed. "But I'm grateful." She stared back at the pile and said, "Would you like me to exchange these then?"

"Yes please. And could you open a bank account for me to store the valis? I mean, I love carrying around a ton of gold as much as the next guy, but-"

"I already did." Eina reached into her pocket and flicked a silver card towards me.

I caught it and examined it.

The card was simple, just silver with my name etched on it. But there was magic floating around inside.

"You can use that to withdraw funds downstairs at a teller or in Babel at the exchange hall."

"Thanks Eina. Love you."

Eina rolled her eyes. "Your sweet words won't make me less annoyed, Bell." She shook her head and smiled. "But A for effort."

I smiled back and scratched my cheek.

"Now then... Is this it? You don't intend to go into the Dungeon again after this, do you?"

"Nope. I'm planning on getting some proper gear." I frowned and said, "Somehow, I've got a feeling that I'll need it with my luck."

The Dungeon seemed pretty adamant about killing off the little birdie. Not only that, but I definitely drained its resources by murdering those monsters. Something that it probably didn't expect considering the last time I went inside.

Though it also seemed to be smart, so I didn't want to risk it getting desperate and sending something like the Reaper from Persona after me. 

Eina gave me a blank stare and said, "...I'm surprised you're still alive all things considered." She glanced at my outfit and said, "Are you sure you don't want me to get you a set of the Guild issued armor?"

"Er... No offense, but I think I'll need better stuff. And I also want to try something first."

Like getting a giant set of platemail and becoming a literal tank blasting projectiles.

"...Fine. Just don't die. If you do, I'm going to make a public obituary about the cocky adventurer who thought he knew everything and dropped dead."

I laughed. "Well, looks like I can't die anytime soon then, can I?"

Eina sighed. "You're insufferable."

"Yes. And thankfully not in suffering."

Eina's eye twitched and she let out a deep sigh. "Well then, if that's all-"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!"

Eina narrowed her eyes and said, "What is it THIS time?"

I glanced to my shoulder and let the little bird out of my inventory.

"Cheep?" It blinked and looked at me. "Cheep cheep?"

Eina froze.

I pointed at my new friend and said, "This guy followed me out of the Dungeon. He's harmless and pretty weak, so I felt bad leaving him in such a dangerous place. I didn't read any laws AGAINST keeping monsters and I read that there were a few tamers out there, but I was wondering if you knew any specifics... Hello? Eina?"

Eina blinked and then lowered her glasses, cleaning them on her shirt. After putting them on, she stared at the bird and then looked at me, groaning. "Of course. You *would* be the first person to tame a Jack Bird."

"Cheep?"