Evening, the sky was a deep navy blue as Rex walked past dwarves and animal people drunkenly snoring by the side of the road. Many shops were closing, but the Shopping District and Pleasure Quarter were just getting started.
Orario didn't sleep—no matter how late it got. Even on this backstreet, the light of magic-stone lamps leaked out from several taverns, casting warm glows onto the street as they continued serving laborers and adventurers looking for a cheap place to drink.
The day had passed with Rex gambling, and he ended the day with 57 million valis across multiple facilities. Even illegal street gambling or shady bar bets weren't off the table for him.
'Should I just do this until I pay off all our debt?' Rex thought, looking down at the bag he got from Miach that held multiple of his checks. '…Nah, I'm becoming too famous. If things keep going like this, I won't be allowed into any gambling house anymore.'
He had already been banned from the smaller ones. Now, only the big names were left, like the Grand Casino El Dorado Resort—the largest in Orario. If he could enter, he could probably make a hundred million in a day… but that place required an invitation. And no matter how famous he had become in the gambling circles, he still hadn't gotten one.
Deciding to think about that later, he continued walking, reaching the Miach Familia home tucked away in an alley just beyond the reach of the main street's noise and lights. As he raised his hand to knock, a voice called out.
"Mister Rex?" Rex paused and turned to his left, spotting the white-haired protagonist staring at him.
Bell wore a simple brown long-sleeve tunic and black pants. Standing beside him was his Pallum supporter, noticeably without her usual bag or cloak—just a slightly torn red and white hooded top that clung tightly and exposed her midriff and belly button, paired with a short red skirt, the belt hanging loose and unbuckled at her waist.
"Ah, Bell," Rex greeted. 'If I knew he was coming, I could've waited.' He quickly asked Scavenger if Freya was watching him. Thankfully, no. "How've you been?"
"Great!" the boy said with a grin, his voice bright. "I've been meaning to thank you for helping us during the War Game."
"Don't worry about it. It was just business." Rex brushed it off with a casual wave, his gaze drifting to Liliruca, who was glaring daggers at him. '...' He then turned back to Bell. "Why don't you give me a manly hug, Bell?" He opened his arms wide. "Bring it in~."
"Mister Bell—" Liliruca wanted to say something, but Bell saw nothing wrong with it and stepped in for a solid hug.
Rex had to lower himself slightly for the shorter boy, his right arm going over Bell's shoulder, the other wrapping around his back. Bell mirrored him, their cheek beside each other as Rex met Liliruca's eyes behind bell.
'Yeah, your romance's got nothing on bromance.' He patted Bell's back, as the girl glared at him like he was the devil. 'Know your place—'
"Mister Rex..." Bell's voice came softly into his ear, making him freeze. "Your back feels so solid and big..." A shiver ran down Rex's spine as he felt Bell's palm moving all over his back. "It's strong..."
'!!!' Rex 'calmly' exited the hug with a cough. "Yeah, this is a man's body."
Bell's eyes lit up with admiration. "I want to be like you!" he said, stepping forward with a clenched fist. "How do I grow big and strong like you, Mister Rex? Like a real man!"
"All you have to do," Rex said, raising a finger and leaning in, "is two thousand push-ups, two thousand sit-ups, two thousand squats, and a two-hundred-kilometer run—every single day, without fail."
Bell nodded quickly.
"Once you hit Level 3, change that to three thousand and three hundred respectively." He continued, quickly asking scavenger if Freya was watching. She wasn't. "And don't forget to eat right and get plenty of sleep—your body grows when you rest. Understand?"
"Yes, sir!" Bell saluted, red eyes shining with determination. "I'll follow your training without hesitation—"
Suddenly, Liliruca grabbed Bell's arm, hugging it tightly as she yanked him toward the door.
"Come on, Mister Bell!" she shouted, glaring at Rex. "Lady Hestia said we shouldn't waste time." She pushed open the door with a briiing.
He watched the duo step inside just as Miach's voice drifted out from within. "I was sure I heard people talking outside the door," the god chuckled, greeting them warmly. Rex glanced off toward the towering silhouette of Babel in the distance.
'I guess my Luck is working overtime to make her not be watching when I'm with Bell.' But he still decided to end this meeting quickly to not test himself.
As he stepped into the store, he was immediately greeted by Naaza who rushed to him. "Good evening, Rex." She said with a slight smile on her sleepy face. "Thank you for visiting."
"No problem," he said with a nod. "Heard you finally made an Elixir."
Naaza gave a quiet nod. "The only reason it worked was because of that purified dust you gave me. I wouldn't have been able to pull it off without it."
The average cost of ingredients needed to make a single Elixir was around 250,000 valis, which was one reason they were so expensive. Normally, it was impossible to substitute ingredients from lower-tier potions when crafting an Elixir, but thanks to Rex's dust, Naaza had found a way to make it work.
She bowed deeply, her hair falling forward as her hands tightened slightly at her sides. "Thank you," she said with a low voice. "Really... really, thank you."
"Naaza—" Rex started, but she cut him off.
"You've done so much for us already," She said as she looked up at him with her usual drowsy eyes but she had a genuine smile. "Even if we're not as well off as we once were... if you ever need anything, tell me. We'll do whatever we can to help."
He smiled at her, giving her a nod. "I'll keep that in mind."
At that moment, Rex's sharp hearing picked up a faint grumble from Liliruca—words meant only for herself. "Suddenly so nice." Her eyes stayed locked on the floor as she muttered under her breath, "Bastard."
Rex understood where she was coming from, and honestly, he couldn't blame her for being upset. From her perspective, it probably looked like he had been a Level 3 the entire time she was in the Familia—hiding his true strength while pretending to be just a Level 1 executive. To her, he might've seemed like one of the top dogs who let the Familia rot, hoarding all the money with Zanis while she and the others suffered.
And now, suddenly, he was being nice? Yeah, it looked scummy.
Still, there wasn't much he could do about it. He wasn't going to apologize for something he didn't do—especially not when he didn't care all that much about his relationship with the little girl to begin with.
While the Hestia duo finished up at the counter with Miach, Rex and Naaza remained near the shelves, exchanging casual light conversation. Just as Liliruca finished her order from Miach, the front door suddenly open with the bell going off.
All eyes turned to the entrance where a cloaked man stood motionless in the doorway. His body was completely enveloped in a black cloak, the hood drawn low to conceal most of his face, leaving only a shadowed glimpse of his features. Seeing him, Rex glanced at his status.
———————————
William Massachusetts
Level 4
[Strength] I3 | [Endurance] I9 | [Dexterity] I20 | [Agility] I31 | [Magic] I17
[Hunter] H
[Mixing] H
[Escape] I
[Magic]
"Peek-a-Boo"
—Turn invisible
—Removes all traces of the user: sound, scent, presence
—Greatly Increase stamina regeneration
—Effect ends after the first attack
[Chant: Short]
[Skill]
"Haste"
—Greatly increases action speed, scales with level
—Boosts stamina regeneration
—Effect increases in darkness or while invisible
"Overrunner"
—Drastically boosts movement speed
—Reduces damage taken while active
—Increase strength scaling with distance run under the effect with limit
—Effect further improves in darkness or while invisible
———————————
'What the hell kind of name is that?' Rex thought, squinting at the name floating above the cloaked man's head as he scanned the room with sharp green eyes. 'White-ass name for a cat.'
On top of that, his magic and skills were no joke—enough to rank him among Orario's top second-class adventurers. What really stood out, though, was his Mixing ability. It ranked even higher than Naaza's, which was impressive for someone who looked more like an assassin.
'I guess he makes poisons,' Rex concluded, as the man's eyes locked onto him. 'But...' Rex inspected his features as they stared at each other. 'I'm sure I have seen that name and met this guy before.'
Miach smiled. "I wanted to make this a surprise, but oh well." He clapped and gestured to the man at the door. "Everyone, please welcome the newest member of Miach Familia—our second-class adventurer, William Massachusetts—"
Before Miach could finish, the cloaked man took a step back and quietly slipped out of the store, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. The sudden departure left the room in silence, with their eyes lingering on the now-closed door.
Miach let out a soft chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Don't mind him," he said with a lopsided smile. "He's just a little shy."
"Wait—" Liliruca jabbed a finger toward the door, spinning to face Bell. "That was the cat who stole our stuff! The one Mister Rex was selling back in Rivira."
"Oh, yeah." Rex snapped his fingers as recognition hit. "That was him."
He was the cat guy that had just walked up and snatched his things while Rex was mid-conversation with Bell's group during their first official meeting. He hadn't paid much attention to the guy's name back then—he was too distracted by the soon spawning Black Goliath and the protagonist squad—but it was a name Rex wouldn't forget again.
'So he ended up leveling up after that event.' A part of him was actually happy to see that. Especially since the other two party members the guy had been with had died—technically because of Rex. 'But why was he acting shy when he was so bold before?' He figured William left because he saw him, which scavenger confirmed.
Liliruca, catching on that Rex recognized him, turned to face him, "Mister Rex!" She called, drawing his attention. "Go after him! Make him pay Lili back!" She said in an almost commanding voice.
Rex gave a half-shrug, not even bothering to hide his indifference. "Could care less what he took."
"But you should!" Liliruca stepped forward, her voice rising. "That was Lili's stuff you were selling!"
"Finders keepers," Rex replied. "I found random junk lying on the dungeon floor. I picked it up—it became mine."
Liliruca's brow twitched. "You still stole it."
"Nuh-uh." Rex deadpan.
"Grrr!" Liliruca growled, her tiny fists clenched as Bell let out a nervous laugh, clearly trying to calm her down.
Miach folded his hands atop the counter and leaned forward slightly and offered gently. "If he really stole something from you, how about I compensate you for it instead?"
Rex lifted a hand dismissively. "Don't need the money," he said. "I let him take it on purpose."
Miach gave a small nod, seeing he wasn't lying. Even so, the god reached under the counter. "Why don't you take this, then." He pulled out two high-grade health potions with one hand and held them to Rex, his other hand holding a single high grade potion to the Liliruca. "You too, Lili."
Liliruca's anger vanished the instant she saw the potion, her eyes litting up, and she took it with a cheerful smile. "Thank you, Lord Miach," she said brightly, putting it into her small bag beside the rest of her potions.
Rex stepped forward and took the other potion without a word, ignoring the Pallum who continued to glare daggers at him from the side. "Why would a second-class adventurer join this Familia, anyway?" He asked Miach.
A Level 4 joining a struggling Familia buried in debt? That didn't make sense. Catching how that must've sounded, he added quickly, "No offense."
"None taken," Miach said with a chuckle as he explaned. "I saw him drinking alone on the street a few nights ago, so I sat down, we talked a bit... and the next day, he came asking to join the Familia."
Miach let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples with both hands. "I wanted to be honest about our debt upfront," he said, a bit of guilt in his voice. "But Naaza insisted I keep quiet until after I engraved his Falna. Soon as that was done, she hit him with the truth." He paused, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Poor guy cried on the spot."
At that, all eyes turned to Naaza. She met their gazes with the same tired expression she always wore, completely unfazed. "It was for the greater good," she said in her usual lazy drawl, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I remember when you used to scam me with your diluted potions," Bell said bluntly.
At this, Naaza's shoulders tensed, and she glanced away, clearly embarrassed by the memory.
Seeing this, Rex raised an eyebrow. "You didn't scam me too... right?" He already knew the answer as he had used scavenger back then too but still decided to ask.
"No! Of course not!" Naaza quickly replied with a loud voice while shaking her head, hands waving in front of her. "I stopped doing that after I got caught." She said, her voice lower.
"Because of me, you scammer," Liliruca muttered with a pointed glare.
Miach and Bell both broke into laughter at this. After a few more words exchanged, the groups began to part.
"Remember to always visit!" Miach called out as the trio turned to leave while waving while Naaza beside him gave a small, respectful bow.
Outside, Bell and Rex strolled side by side as they talked, the silent Liliruca on Bell's other side. Rex allowed himself to relax, having already confirmed through Scavenger that Freya was currently disguised as Syr and working at the Hostess of Fertility. No eyes were on Bell today.
As they reached the point where their paths would split, Rex decided to keep the goodwill going.
"If you ever need help with anything, reach out to the Soma Familia," he said, offering a handshake. "Just tell them you want to meet your friend—'Rex Magnus Lapis.' Zanis will let you in."
"Friend…" Bell repeated, eyes sparkling as he grasped Rex's hand.
Rex's smile stiffened. The longer Bell held on, the more uneasy he felt under the weight of that wide-eyed admiration, resisting the urge to pull his hand back immediately.
'The fuck did I even do for this guy to have this kind of feelings for me?' He thought as Bell kept holding on firmly with a big smile.
Without warning, Liliruca yanked Bell's hand out of Rex's grasp and clutched it against her chest. "Come on, Bell," she said, glaring at Rex with open hostility as she pulled him away. "Lady Hestia is waiting."
"Bye, Mister Rex Magnus Lapis!" Bell called out cheerfully while waving with his other hand.
'Yeah… definitely a sexy name,' he thought with a nod, then his expression turned serious. 'Scavenger, is Bell gay?' Thankfully, Scavenger rated that as low quality, otherwise, Rex might have to start sleeping with one eye open.
'Now.' Rex stretched with a quiet groan. 'Let's go home for that meeting with Gareth.'
The thought should've been relaxing, but it brought a sudden wave of disappointment. "Fuck, I can't get drunk," he muttered. If only he could strangle his Indomitable Will.
He walked in silence, and before long, he reached Cupidinem. Just beyond the road, Rex spotted Gareth making his way toward the tall brown double gates that had a five-meter-high red-brick wall on each side, wrapping around the college-like compound. The dwarf was casually dressed, and it looked like he'd even brought something—a gift, maybe. But...
'Fuck is Loki doing here?' He spotted her standing beside Gareth, rubbing her hands and licking her lips like some kind of dog starved for wine.
'Haah...' He sighed inwardly. 'So much for a quiet evening drink with Gareth.' Looked like Loki had decided to tag along to get her hands on some Soma. He should have expected this especially since the goddess asked for marriage just because of a drink.
'This is gonna be a bad night, Scavenger.'
The two figures ahead were alerted by the sound of his footsteps. Both turned slightly, and noticing him, Loki spun around fully, a mischievous sparkle lighting up her crimson eyes.
"Well, well, well~! Isn't it the mystery man himself—Rex Magnus," she greeted with playful sarcasm as she walked forward. "Its great finally meeting you in person."
Rex came to a stop just a few paces away and offered a small, courteous bow. "Good evening, Goddess Loki," he straightened up, his amber eyes met hers. "I didn't expect to see you here tonight."
"Me neither!" she said with a wide grin. "I was just out on a walk and this old stump here dragged me along~!"
Loki gave Gareth's shoulder a light pat, and Rex glanced toward the dwarf, catching the subtle shake of his head. Loki saw it too, no doubt—but she didn't seem to care one bit.
"Buuut don't mind me," she added, stepping closer and giving Rex a friendly pat on the forearm. "I came all this way just to get to know you better, Rex~."
Rex nodded slowly. "Then I won't think much of it." He said, and Loki nodded, clearly satisfied. Rex then turned to Gareth next. "Good evening, Sir Gareth. A pleasure to see you again."
"Just call me Gareth," the dwarf said with a wide grin, holding out a rectangular wooden box. "Figured if I'm drinkin' on someone else's tab, I oughta bring somethin' worth sharin'."
Rex took the box, raising a brow as Gareth added with a chuckle, "Top-shelf bottle from the Varuni Familia. Ain't no Soma Wine, but it's got a charm of its own.
"Thank you." He said before gesturing to the gate, "Why don't we continue this inside?"
[Author's Note: This chapter wasn't meant to be this long. It was actually supposed to be bundled with the last one and end right after parting with Naaza—but I decided to add more interaction with Bell because I felt like that part was lacking. Thought it would be fun to explore their 'relationship' more.
Then I thought, why not throw in Liliruca to make things more dynamic? Then came the real 'hmmm...' moment. Since Rex ended up taking Daphne and Cassandra, who were supposed to join the Miach Familia in canon, I thought why not give Miach someone new? And use this chance to introduce them on-screen? And who better than that Level 3 I introduced all the way back in Chapter 30? Better yet, make him a Level 4. A strong one. Someone who could've joined Loki Familia if he wanted. Yeah, he's a bit OP compared to the two Level 2s who would've joined Miach originally, but who cares?
Also, this Fanfiction reached 200 thousand words a few chapters back, but I didn't notice. With the addition of this chapter, it should reach 211,980 words. Yay! 200k words and sub 70 chapters, that's an average of 3072 words per chapter. Quite good if I do say so myself.
You might say, but author, you seem to write long author's note, and I will let you know that in google docs where I have no author's note, the 69 chapters come up to 205,240 words, so I have still broken that 200k barrier. First time reaching this level and I feel accomplished ~hehe~. Lets aim for 300k next.
Thanks for reading and have a good day~o(*￣▽￣*)ブ]