"You seem to be in a terrible mood, Bell." Ryuu adjusted the green hood of her cloak and looked at me. "Was there trouble at home?" She frowned and said, "If it is because of me..."

I adjusted the stone swords hanging by my waists and then checked the spear strapped to my back. After that, I glanced back at Ryuu and shook my head. "It's not because of you. But there has been trouble at home. On the plus side, we have some new members."

Ryuu smiled. "Truly? That's some good news."

"Mm. Kind of. On the downside, that happened because my friend created something ridiculous."

"Ah." Ryuu frowned. "...By your friend, do you mean the one you brought with you last time?"

"That's the one. He's kind of in a rough spot right now... but that doesn't really matter at the moment."

Welf would be fine. I already gave him a pep talk and tossed him a few of my crafted items to examine. I also made a basic forge for him out back too, so he had plenty to keep him busy.

Tia was staying home today to help him and Pyrrha calm down too, so everything would be alright.

In the meantime, I was going to go on that quest to go figure out what was causing the commotion with all the black scorpion monsters. And since I had a reliable partner to work with who was much stronger than me, it should be a quick way to figure out how to close the gap.

I would have preferred working with Ottar, but apparently the guy was still in the Middle Floors and would take a few days to get back even if he dropped everything right away.

Still, Ryuu was a good person to learn from. Except...

I blinked, suddenly noticing Ryuu's outfit.

Instead of her conservative green waitress outfit, Ryuu had changed into, frankly, a very revealing outfit.

Thigh-high boots with short shorts. A weird white shirt with strange cut gaps that made it look like someone tried making an origami snowflake and got inspired to turn it into a shirt. Long leather gloves that almost went to her shoulders...

Paired with her green cloak, it *technically* covered everything. But it was also clearly suggestive.

"Um. Ryuu."

"Yes?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but... Is that outfit even effective? Or are you just wearing it for fashion?"

Ryuu tilted her head and said, "Is something wrong with my attire?"

"No, just... never mind."

She looked comfortable wearing it. And I guess I had seen worse... like that blonde girl the other day dressed like a lewd knight.

After looking at Ryuu's outfit, I double-checked my own.

Pretty basic. I had a black shirt on and black pants, along with a pair of black boots. Mostly because I didn't know how to get stains out, so I chose darker clothing to not worry about that problem.

Over those clothes though, I made some armor pieces with crafting and wore them as well. A matte gray breastplate, grieves, arm guards... Essentially just enough to cover the parts that mattered.

Including a cup guard. Always gotta remember the cup guard.

Paired with my weapons... I probably looked more like a guy cosplaying as an adventurer than an actual one.

But in any case...

I started walking and said, "Thanks for coming along, Ryuu. After all the crazy happening since I started adventuring, it's good to have someone reliable watching my back."

Ryuu walked beside me and nodded. "Of course. I'm more than happy to help one of Syr's friends. Moreover, I believe Fina would be disappointed in me if I allowed her father to be hurt."

"She probably would." I nodded and then pulled out the quest flier I grabbed from the guild hall this morning. "So the quest details... It looks like the Artemis Familia went to investigate the disturbance at first but the Guild lost all contact with them. Their strongest member is Level 3, so it'll probably be a bit dicey." I lowered the flier and looked at Ryuu. "You're almost level 5 though, so you should be fine, right?"

Ryuu blinked and then frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Hm?" I stopped walking and said, "What do you mean? You're about... four, almost five times stronger than me and I'm a Level 1. Basic math means that you have to be around Level 5 then, right?"

Ryuu's frown deepened and she said, "Bell... Can you see another adventurer's status somehow?"

"No. But I can roughly gauge how strong you are..." I paused and said, "I take it that's not normal?"

"...No. And you say you're merely a Level 1?" She gave me a once over and said, "You don't carry yourself like one... Have you been fighting before you became an adventurer?"

"Nope. Just a farmboy living in the mountains with my grandpa. Weak enough to almost get killed by a pack of goblins when he was younger, actually."

Ryuu blinked. "...Just how long have you been in Orario again?"

I paused to think about it. "...Roughly two weeks? Give or take?"

Time was kind of a blur these days, so I wasn't entirely sure. But it should be around that.

"...Has anyone mentioned to you that you are-"

"Crazy? Ridiculous?"

"I would say incredible, but those apply as well."

"I've been called that a few times now too. Which is that trouble I was mentioning to you before... But let's keep walking. Since you're going to be joining eventually, I'll fill you in on the details now so that you aren't shocked later."

"Details?"

"Yeah. Especially since it looks like the place is pretty far, so we'll be making multiple trips..." I paused and then double-checked the quest flier and reviewed the maps I read in the past. And then I stopped walking.

Ryuu turned to look at me. "Bell?"

"...I may have miscalculated the distance of the trip."

The quest flier said the forest to the north of Orario. From that, I was under the assumption that it meant the north side of Orario the city. But from the description in the quest flier, it seemed like the forest was on the north side of *Orario.* As in the continent.

But the continent wasn't called Orario...

I sighed and tucked the flier away. "Seems like there was a mix-up in the Quest details."

It looked like the person recording it was either rushed or got bad info, but I definitely wasn't going to be able to get to it in a day...

...Unless?

I paused and then swiped my hand through the air, looking at my inventory. Specifically, I examined the crafting menu again.

The message for crafting never said I *couldn't* make whatever I wanted. Only that it would be the 'lowest rank' if I lacked a matching Developmental Ability.

"Say." I looked at Ryuu and said, "Would you happen to know wind magic?"

Ryuu nodded. "A little. But if you are thinking of flying there, I am sorry to say that I am not to that level."

"That'd be convenient, but it's fine. Hypothetically, would you be able to conjure enough wind to make, say a boat, move?"

Ryuu paused. "...It should be possible, yes."

"Great. Then let's do this."

A lightweight frame with smooth ball-bearing joints and wheels, along with a suspension system. An engine was too complicated, but a sail was definitely within the realm of possibility.

And besides, Liar's Phrase was making me out to be a Gary Stu anyway, so this should definitely work even if I didn't know how.

Just gotta pretend that I'm the center of the universe. Right. So then...

I tapped on the collection of various resources I randomly picked up. Rubble, magic stones, monster drops like kobold fur... After that, I crafted it.

A giant drain of mana, as well as a headache.

For a split second, a flood of information filled my head. Blueprints, schematics... half-remembered memories of physics and calculations making sure that the load on each joint and the necessary friction calculations were carried out to not turn it into a shattered mess on the first run...

And then it appeared. Something that looked like a formula one racecar but with a giant sail. Not only that, but there was a pedal system to make it run even without the sail.

Okay. That's done. Now to put on a show in case anybody was watching...

I held my hand out and said, "Earth, gather to form the vision within my mind. Shut, the gate of imagination. Open, the door to the mental realm. I summon you... Land Rover!"

"B-Bell?"

"Come!" I slammed my hand on the ground. At the same time, I threw out the land boat... wagon... Sail wagon? Sail wagon.

It landed on the grass, bouncing a few times before coming to a halt in all its matte and 3D printed looking glory.

Ryuu slowly turned to look at me.

I walked over to the front of the wagon and sat down, resting my hands on the steering wheel and placing my feet over the pedals. After that, I looked back and said, "So, think you can blow the sails here with your magic?"

"Bell."

"Yeah?"

"...Are you truly a human?"

"Yep. Just one who doesn't rely on the world's normal common sense. Apparently. But anyway, let's get going. Even if we can't make it all the way there, we should be able to go far enough to set a good checkpoint..."

xxx

The Room of Prayer, hidden deep beneath the Guild Hall. There, Ouranos sat atop his throne, carefully keeping watch over the Dungeon as he had for the past 1000 years.

His silver hair fluttered from the ambient divine power flowing through the room, only contained by the hood of his black cloak. An intimidating appearance of an old man dedicating himself to the task of protecting the mortals from the Dungeon's numerous monsters with his divinity.

He narrowed his eyes, carefully staring at various parts of the Dungeon before muttering. "There has been a change."

The Dungeon and the monsters within were restless. They had been since a strange young man had entered a few weeks ago... but this was different. Although he had captured the Dungeon's interest, something else was causing the monsters to stir.

"...Is it connected to Artemis's disappearance?" He shifted his gaze north, staring at a ruin hidden within a dead forest. "Antares... Has its seal broken?"

"Lord Ouranos."

A voice called out in the dark chamber. Neither male nor female, but a strange synthetic blend that echoed with both. With the voice, a hooded robed figure emerged.

He or she was thin, and the hood cast a dark enough shadow to prevent any light casting on the person's face.

Ouranos looked over and nodded. "Fels. Have you found the Xenos that escaped?"

Fels shook their head and said, "It has vanished without a trace. For a moment, I believed I caught its tail pursuing that boy, but... My apologies."

Ouranos shifted his gaze back into the distance and said, "It's fine. Zeus has his own plans involving that boy, so there is no need to be concerned. But what of the other matters?"

Fels shook their head and said, "The malicious presence is still unknown. I have my suspicions, but that party has hidden very well. As to the matter of the young girl that appears to be Lady Hestia's daughter... Lady Freya has taken active measures to stall my efforts. Forgive me."

"Hm." Ouranos tapped his fingers on his throne. "For her to move... Did she figure something out from the prototype you gave her?"

"The jewel fetus was inert and soulless. Even were she to use it to attempt to create a spirit with another goddess's blessing, it would not have resulted in anything."

"I will trust your judgment... but this is Freya. Hera herself had to convince that goddess to descend from Heaven to watch over the mortal realm... Hm." Ouranos paused to think and then shook his head. "We will leave that matter to her. It seems that she has her own schemes as well and they should not interfere with our plans." He nodded and said, "If that is all..."

Fels raised their head and said, "There is one other matter."

"Speak."

"Loki's child. The Sword Princess. If my conjecture is correct, then the malicious presence's purpose should be..."

xxx

Hermes lowered the pair of binoculars he was using to track Bell and then let out a low whistle. "Yep. Definitely Alfia's kid alright. There's no way that sort of monstrous talent could have resulted from anything other than her blood. Though..." he tucked his binoculars away and frowned. "Did that coward actually manage to knock her up? How the hell did he stay alive long enough for that to happen? Or maybe Meteria had a soft spot for that guy and wanted to have his child but couldn't? Then Alfia stepped in? ...Argh. I should have asked better questions back then."

The Messenger God shook his head and then crossed his arms to think.

He was standing on top of one of Orario's various buildings, using the height to get a better vantage point. He originally wanted to use the opportunity to see if he could catch the god plotting in the shadows, but he caught Bell pulling off that ridiculous feat of conjuring a machine out of thin air and setting sail with a familiar pretty elf woman behind him.

"Zeus would definitely be proud of the kid. But..." Hermes frowned. "...Is this alright?"

They had already made plans and plotted the trajectory of Bell's growth, but it seemed like he was defying all of their expectations. Not only that, but his ridiculous actions were going to have side-effects.

"A useful traveling machine like that... Asfi could replicate it. And if she could, others would be able to. Faster than a chariot, relying on the winds to sail, and with mechanisms to account for the rough terrain..." Hermes let out a dry laugh and said, "I'm starting to think we're creating a 'monster' instead of a 'hero', Zeus."

A natural and relaxed demeanor. Although the manner was a bit exaggerated, Hermes could tell that Bell was barely strained creating that machine.

Not only that...

Hermes traced out the direction Bell was headed and then tapped his chin. "...Artemis *did* ask for some help. I haven't gotten the chance to make the exhibit yet, but Bell's already on his way... And if I'm right with him being Alfia's kid, he should be able to solve that somehow. The problem is with the fallout..."

The Messenger God glanced towards Babel. A sharp gaze stared back.

Hermes chuckled and tucked his hands into his pockets. "Well. Since that kid's charmed Freya, it should be fine. And if he managed to charm that righteous elf, he can't be that bad... Mm." He placed a hat on his head, turning invisible, and hopped off the roof. "I'll just watch for a bit. Whether we get a hero or a monster on our hands... Well, the real hero should come out either way when the dust settles."

The priority was getting someone who could kill the One Eyed Black Dragon. If a person like that could be born...

"...It's a pity, Erebus. You had the right idea, but the wrong timing."

If a ridiculous person like Bell had been around when that incident occurred, just how strong would he have become by the end of it?

...Then again, if that incident hadn't occurred, he probably would never have arrived in Orario, so...

Hermes shrugged and started walking off.

For now... Ganesha's party was only a few days away and the Denatus wasn't long after that. Might as well spend the time gathering up some more useful information.

Just in case.

xxx

I jumped off my sail wagon and took a look around.

A dry and dead forest with cracked earth in every direction. In the distance, a crumbling ancient ruin with a weird glowing seal around it.

And surprisingly, not a black scorpion monster in sight.

I frowned and glanced at the sky.

I underestimated Ryuu's wind magic. She was definitely being humble in saying she only knew a 'little' wind magic. If it wasn't for the fact that I was prepared for ridiculous things to happen all the time now, I would have panicked and crashed us when a sonic boom erupted behind us and sent us flying across the land.

Though I had to give credit where credit was due. For something that was supposed to be of the 'lowest rank' from my crafting system, the sail wagon held up pretty well-

*crack*

...Or not.

I glanced at the wagon that dissolved into white dust and blew away into the wind.

Ryuu brushed off the dust on her clothes before looking at me with a frown. "I'm sorry, Bell."

I waved my hand and said, "It's fine. That thing lasted longer than I expected it to anyway."

It was nice to confirm that everything I made had a set durability to them though. Also to confirm that it was possible for it to keep maximum utility until the very end.

...Hm. Would it be possible to overdrive them then? Flood the crafted items with mana for the ability to perform at a rank above before exploding? Something like a certain nameless archer used with his projectile swords?

Something to take note of for the future. But for right now...

"It looks like we got here with time to spare."

The sun was setting, bathing everything with an orange hue and making the surroundings look even more eerie. Still, while creepy, it was still visible. And judging from the position of the sun... We had at least a few more hours left of daylight.

I glanced back at Ryuu and said, "What do you think? You're the more experienced adventurer here, so should we check out the ruins or head back for now?"

Ryuu tilted her head. "...You mean set up camp?" She looked around and said, "I don't believe this would be the best place for that. Especially as there are no signs of those black scorpions appearing." She frowned and said, "They may be lying in wait for an ambush when we least expect it."

"I agree. Which is why I asked if we should head back."

Ryuu stared at me.

I stared back.

"...By head back, do you mean head back to Orario?"

"Yeah."

"...In another of those land boats?"

"It's a sail wagon... I think. But no. I meant I can teleport us back and then we can save the time traveling here over land the next day by just teleporting here tomorrow morning. Then we'd have a whole day to explore instead of just a few hours."

Ryuu frowned and then slowly said, "Bell. Are you aware that just the suggestion that such an ability exists would be enough to send the gods into chaos trying to obtain you in their Familia?"

"Of course. Again, the reason why I'm going to be at the top of Orario's most wanted list soon. Also why I asked if you wanted to join our Familia. Could honestly use the help, you know?"

Ryuu stared at me again and then her frown deepened.

"What?"

"I am beginning to think that you are not quite sane, Bell."

I laughed and said, "Sanity's overrated anyway. Who needs common sense and expectations when it's just going to lock you up into something you don't want to do?"

The people who changed the world for better or worse were always called insane by the people of that era anyway.

"Putting that aside for now..." I stared at the ruins and said, "Your call. Advance, or retreat?"

Ryuu stared at the ruins as well and then rested her hand on the wooden katana she had resting at her left side. After that, she looked at me and said, "How confident are you at staying alive?"

"Long enough to get us out alive as long as there isn't something insane like a demon or a fallen god in there."

In *that* case... Well. I had something in mind. It had been on the backburner since I first had the thought about potentially losing Falna, but I had a working prototype of it now.

After all, if Welf could use blacksmithing to make an insane sword that reached the level of the gods, I should definitely be able to use an even more cheat ability to do at least the same.

And the proof of that was quietly sitting in the corner of my inventory, kind of like a glass box that said 'break in case of emergencies.'

Ryuu tilted her head again and said, "...I'm not sure whether you're exceedingly arrogant or exceedingly confident. I wouldn't wish for the former, but the latter is a terrifying thought..."

"You'll get used to it." I pulled my stone spear off my back and said, "So we're advancing?"

Ryuu nodded. "It would be best to at least take a cursory examination before nightfall. Stay close."

With that, Ryuu started running towards the ruins.

...Much faster than I could follow. At least, that would have been the case beforehand. But now...

"Taking a page out of your book, Shirou." I muttered and then focused.

Drawing in the ambient mana. Using it to fill in the gaps in my body, threading it between my muscles. Drawing out Hestia's blood that was mixed with my own to create the Falna...

In theory, it should work. Falna permitted the impossible, and what I envisoned was perfectly rational. Therefore, it fell short of being 'impossible' and well within the parameters of what should be permitted.

Right. I just had to believe that. And in believing that, it would come true. And that truth would be all the proof I needed to make it work. So...

*Ding.*

A soft bell echoed in my head. With it, power suddenly welled up in my body and I kicked off the ground, swiftly closing the gap between me and Ryuu.

...Although every step felt like my body was cracking, but-

Wait.

I quickly pulled out the experimental potion Naaza handed me and drank it.

A sweet and savory taste, like an orange-infused gravy.

At the same time, I actually *heard* cracking. The sound of my breaking body slowly being put back together.

It also hurt. A lot.

But definitely not as much as the ridiculous training regime I did before.

I put the empty potion vial back in my inventory and kept running.

Gotta remember to give Naaza a five star approval rating later along with a positive product review.

But anyway...

I caught up with Ryuu a few seconds later.

Mostly because she realized that she was going at a speed a normal person couldn't follow.

But then she saw me easily following her and shook her head before speeding up again.

I followed and said, "You know. There's no need to rush."

Ryuu glanced back at me and said, "Says the ridiculous man who is keeping pace with me despite being a supposedly new adventurer. Just what sorcery are you using to accomplish this...?"

"Strictly confidential." I winked and said, "I'll let you know when you become part of the family."

Ryuu's face turned red.

My eyes widened and I said, "Platonically! As part of the familia! Not like that. Way too much trouble."

Ryuu chuckled and she said, "I am beginning to think you are the bane of all woman in Orario, Bell."

"You and me both, Girl. You and me both."

There were a lot of things I could say about the situation... but I didn't want to raise any flags, so I kept my mouth shut.

Instead, I focused on the ruins.

It looked pretty generic.

Well, I could say that because I played a lot of rpgs and games with elaborate set pieces.

The 'ruins' actually seemed to be a temple of sorts. There were white marble pillars with ruins etched on them that formed a rectangle around an altar. And in front of that altar, there was a crack in the ground, leading into a dark abyss.

I could also see a weird mix of energy emanating from that abyss. Something dark and malevolent that reminded me of the Dungeon. But also something radiant and silver, reminding me of moonlight.

Ryuu came to a stop first and took a look around.

I came to a stop next and frowned. Just in case, I set up a checkpoint here with my handy fast travel menu... Which gained a new tab labeled 'Side Quests' the moment I did that.

...Now. Was that because I felt like this was a sidequest, because the 'system' counted it as one, or because my powers were giving me hints on what to expect?

Again, really wished I had a help menu to sort this stuff out. But tried making that earlier and it didn't work at all, so... RIP.

Anyway, emergency exit and return secured. Now for the current situation...

"Huh." I swept my gaze across the surroundings again and said, "Weren't there supposed to be a bunch of scorpion monsters?"

Ryuu nodded. "That is what the quest flier said. But I do not see or hear any monsters nearby. Do you?"

"I don't ei-."

'Are you my Orion?'

A faint female whisper. Desperate, but also hopeful.

I paused.

I mean, I usually talked to myself in my head, but that voice sure didn't sound like mine-

'Help me. Please.'

"Bell?"

I groaned and ran my hand through my hair. "This world's really making me out to be the main character, huh?"

Ryuu blinked.

I shook my head and said, "I've got a feeling this is going to get ugly. And that this is going to get worse if we leave right now."

Like a cold hand wrapped around my heart. I 'knew' that turning back right now would mean chaos. That 'something' I wasn't prepared for would happen if I turned my back on this.

On the other hand, I also 'knew' that whatever was down there was something far beyond my ability. At least, right now.

And as if to affirm my thoughts, my warp menu popped up without my prompting, showing me the tab with the warp spot I just established. Except the name was different. Now, instead of 'Side Quest' the name had turned into 'Great Quest.'

Like one of the 'Three Great Quests' issued by the world.

"Son of a bitch."

"P-Pardon?"

"Just lamenting at the consequences of being a 'hero', Ryuu. Also, take this."

I pulled out the wind magic sword Welf forged me and handed it to Ryuu.

She took it and her eyes widened. "A magic sword? No, the mana pulsing through this..."

"A safety net. It won't break, so use it as much as you want. Now, let's speedrun this before it gets worse."

I started to run forward, but then I paused and cleared my throat. "Um... After you, Ryuu."

She looked at me and then laughed. But then she nodded and said, "Stay close."

With that, we jumped into the darkness.