"The way you went woosh and bam was so cool! What's your name? What Familia are you from?" The half-elf in front of me started asking excitedly.
*Bonk*
A redhead appeared behind the elf and gave her a light chop on the head.
"Ow!"
"Leave them alone, Lante. They have no obligation to tell us," the redhead said, giving us an apologetic smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rethusa, captain of the Artemis Familia."
"Nice to meetcha. My name is Francisco, but you can just call me Francis. The one with the white hair is my brother, Angel, and the elf is also my brother, Alex," I introduced myself.
Rethusa raised an eyebrow in surprise. I can't really blame her; I just said I was brothers with two people who look absolutely nothing like me.
"Eh? Your name is Francisco? I didn't know that," Uriel, standing beside me, spoke up. I guess I never told her my full name.
"Oh yeah, this is Uriel," I said, gesturing to her. "She's one of the victims of the wyvern attack. That's why we came here—to help with their extermination." Uriel nodded beside me.
"In that case, I can only thank you for your assistance. If you hadn't shown up, some of the girls might have been gravely injured. I never expected a monster to reach Level 3 strength," Artemis suddenly spoke. She had been silent the entire time, quietly observing us, probably trying to figure out more about who we are.
Can't blame her; I'd do the same.
She then turned her gaze to Uriel and asked, "Would you like to join my Familia, Uriel? If you have nowhere to go, you could join us," Artemis offered.
Damn, is this woman trying to steal her?
Wait... she's not even mine to begin with.
*Sigh.*
I guess I got attached to her in just a few hours. Can't blame me, though. Her cute and cheerful personality really gets to me.
Uriel's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden offer. "Um, Francis, what will you do once you arrive in Orario?"
Whoa, where did that question come from?
"I think me and my brothers are heading into the dungeon," I answered, a bit puzzled.
Uriel went deep into thought.
"Miss Artemis, can Francis and his brothers join too?" Uriel asked, clearly wanting to stick around with us.
But too bad she hadn't noticed one small detail—Artemis's Familia is female-only.
Artemis shook her head. "I am sorry, child, but men aren't allowed."
Oooh, she said it! She said it!
Uriel frowned, clearly disappointed, and fell into thought again, as if trying to figure out what to do. "I'm sorry, Goddess, but I've decided to stay by Francis's side," she said firmly.
Yeah, that's my Uriel!!!
Artemis sighed, probably already expecting Uriel to choose us over joining her Familia.
The offer had good intentions, but not enough to make Uriel leave us.
"It's a pity. Even if I allowed it, I doubt they'd join since they're already in a Familia."
Wait... Oi, oi, since when were we in a Familia?
Elves can use magic without being in a Familia, right?
"Really? What Familia are you in?" Artemis's words snapped Uriel out of her thoughts.
"Sorry, but we're not in any Familia," I replied.
Artemis's expression shifted to one of surprise, her god-born lie detection likely confirming I was telling the truth.
"Really? Then how are you so strong? You can't just uppercut a Level 3 wyvern without Falna," Rethusa added, her curiosity clear.
This is getting annoying. It's starting to feel like an interrogation. Angel and Alex were frowning as well.
Artemis seemed to notice our reactions. "Apologies. But as Rethusa said, it's not every day you see someone without a Familia defeat a Level 3 wyvern." She looked genuinely sorry.
With a sigh, I said, "It's fine. I don't mind the questions as long as they don't get too personal. By the way, where's the nearest river? My clothes are covered in blood." Uriel blushed, probably remembering me cleaning her face earlier.
I had managed to wipe the blood off her before it dried up.
"Just head straight, and you'll find a river," Artemis pointed out. With a nod, my brothers and I headed in that direction.
Uriel, on the other hand, went with the Artemis Familia to bathe in a lake opposite the river we were heading to.
-Francisco POV-
"So, what level are you guys, and what did you get?" I asked as we relaxed by the river.
My clothes and gear were already washed, so we decided to chill for a bit, enjoying the water. The last time I went out in the wild like this was when my friend invited me to go hunting.
"I'm Level 2, and I got 5 tickets," Angel replied.
"I'm also Level 2 and got 5 tickets," Alex added.
"Really? I'm Level 3 and got 5 tickets too," I said, surprised. I thought they'd be at least Level 3 like me, but I guess I was the one who killed most of the wyverns.
[A/N: The scaling of their system is different from Danmachi's. For every 10 levels in their system, it's equivalent to maxed-out stats at Level 1 in Danmachi.]
Honestly, we only won because of our good equipment and skills.
I could have done more, but the makeshift [Pocket Singularity] I had shot at them was incomplete. only the application of the Anti-Matter "Obliteration" part of the bolt was I able to do.
"Alright then, let's draw and see what we get," I said. They both nodded and started interacting with the air, probably not realizing they could just ask the system directly.
'System, draw my five.'
<[Understood, five new objects obtained]
<[Hidden Blade (D) {Assassin's Creed}
|Image|
*Description: A retractable blade that can be discreetly extended from a bracer or gauntlet. Ideal for stealth and freerunning.
<[Spice Box (E)
|Image|
*Description: A box containing all types of spices.
<[Adamantine Ore (C-)
|Image|
*Description: A block of one of the strongest metals in Orario. Its rank can increase depending on how and who forges it.
<[Ancient Gospel (C) {Destiny}
|Image|
*Description: Legendary/solar/hand cannon.
<[Save-O-Book (B)
|Image|
*Description: Allows the user to save up to four "Magical" attacks in its pages and release them at will.
Not bad, though nothing immediately game-changing. The Hidden Blade is cool, and I could definitely put it to good use. The Save-O-Book is a solid B-rank item. I could store my ultimate ability in it four times and unleash them all at once. On second thought, five or six—considering I create an ult after I release the ones in the book and I don't push myself too much
"So, what did you guys get?" I asked them.
"Nothing much, just some thermite grenades and equipment. The only good thing I got was the [Needler] from Halo," Angel said.
That's pretty good. If anyone asked me to name a weapon from Halo, the Needler would definitely be the first one I'd think of. It's just that iconic.
"I got some low-level recovery potions and materials for crafting. I'll need them to unlock the other features of my arm. Oh, and I got the [Moonveil Katana]," Alex added.
The recovery potions will definitely be useful when we get to the dungeon. I bet the ones they sell there are going to be expensive as hell. I'm also a bit jealous that Alex got the Moonveil Katana.
He didn't play Elden Ring, but he knows about it because I talked about it nonstop while we ate dinner. I used to rave about the Moonveil, Rivers of Blood, and other items.
Angel, on the other hand... I'm pretty sure he doesn't know a single thing.
"I'll teach you how to use a sword later," I said, looking at Alex. "You haven't used the Master Sword because you don't know how to wield it properly."
I didn't know how to use a sword either until the system gave me the Aincrad Sword Style. The only fighting I knew back home was martial arts.
Black belt, by the way.
Alex nodded. He understood that he couldn't always stay in the back as support, shooting arrows.
"Oh, also, take this." I handed him the Ancient Gospel. I don't need it since I already have the Ace of Spades. I'll have to teach him how to use firearms too. Back in my past life, my family didn't have guns, but my friend's family invited me to the gun range a few times.
Alex took it and stashed it in his inventory.
"Besides the gun I gave Alex, I also got this Save-O-Book. It lets me store magical attacks in its pages, but only four."
"That's pretty useful," Alex said with a nod. "Can't you spam multiple ultimates at once?"
Thank God my brothers and I share the same brain cell.
We spent the next hour brainstorming combos and discussing how we could use our new gear to our advantage. Angel tried to convince me to give him my Hidden Blade, but I said no. Good thing he wanted an AR rifle, or I might've given in.
We also touched on some more serious matters, like Uriel's outburst earlier. The flames she emitted during her breakdown were dangerous. I had the feeling that if I touched them, I would've been incinerated on the spot.
Maybe I could survive it if I used [Solar] and controlled the intence fire she emitted or [Stasis] by absorbing the thermic energy she let out until there was none, but for now, that fire shows she has incredible potential. It's extremely rare to manifest magic skills without a Falna, and even harder to develop them this quickly. I should train her alongside Alex in swordsmanship.
But before that, I'll have them focus on body conditioning. Alex can wield a sword thanks to his physique, and Uriel can hold one too, but she gets tired easily after a few swings. Angel... well, he's terrible at close combat, so he'll be sticking to guns from now on.
We've got a long road ahead of us.