The Journey Begins in DanMachi

"Good morning, Ais."

The other party's overly casual demeanor made Ais wonder if she had overreacted.

"Mo-morning."

She replied subconsciously, but by the time she thought to ask more, it felt too late, so she simply sat down across from Noah.

Her desire to finish her homework early vanished, her mind filled with various confusions.

In the end, fearing she would be like last time and only remember to express her gratitude right before bed, Ais couldn't help but open her small mouth.

"Um, Noah."

"Hm?"

"Why... are you here?"

At this, Noah couldn't help but show dead fish eyes.

"Because it's too torturous at Dian Cecht Hospital. I told Riveria I was coming here to study and take a break."

Amid was truly worthy of her reputation; despite her young age, her medical skills were exceptional, and she had customized a full treatment plan for Noah.

In recent days, the treatment Noah endured included, but was not limited to, breaking and resetting misaligned bones, cutting open and re-stitching improperly healed muscles, and being steamed alongside medicinal herbs inside a sealed wooden barrel...

If he could accept those, the various potions—sour, astringent, bitter, spicy, fishy, and foul-smelling—were truly enough to make him vomit; he felt as if his soul were about to fly out!

If he hadn't genuinely felt his body recovering and strengthening, he would never have suffered through that ordeal!

Thus, once the treatment was essentially finished and only the recovery period remained, Noah finally couldn't help but want to run, though he never succeeded; he was precisely intercepted by Amid every single time.

Only after begging Riveria many times, and enjoying one last session of Amid's magical healing, was Noah successfully discharged.

It's just learning magic, right? Could it possibly be more painful than drinking those soul-draining juices? That was what Noah thought.

He would definitely invent a potion that tasted as good as fruit juice in the future!

"A, a break..."

Hearing Noah say this, Ais couldn't help but open her mouth slightly.

Recalling the super-Spartan, stern expression Riveria wore during lessons, Ais couldn't connect "attending class" with "taking a break" no matter how she tried.

Could Noah really consider even this kind of training a break?

As expected, I am still far behind!

Noah, failing to notice the complex expression on Ais's small face, remained relaxed, feeling the power surging through his body after the treatment.

However, this ease dissipated the moment several books, thicker than bricks, were slammed heavily onto the table in front of him.

"Ri, Riveria? What are these?"

Noah looked at the stack of books on the table, which was definitely taller than he was, and looked at Riveria tremblingly.

"Just introductory books for magic class. What, you think it's too much?"

Feeling Riveria's merciless, cold gaze, and thinking back to the taste of those potions at the hospital, Noah swallowed hard and shook his head.

"No, not too much."

"Good, because these are just the table of contents and summaries."

Under Noah's blank stare, Riveria smiled faintly, radiating a temperament that was as delicate as a rose yet dangerous.

She pointed to several rows of bookshelves in the corner of the library, which held at least several hundred massive tomes.

"Those are the actual texts."

Watching Noah, who had completely frozen, Ais, sitting nearby, couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a laugh.

Then—

"Laughing? Is it that funny?"

And so, Ais, locked in Riveria's gaze, also lost her smile.

31 Noah grabbed it, and in an instant—

Early in the morning, earlier than usual, Noah woke up quietly.

Glancing at the sky outside the window, Noah threw off his quilt, rolled off the top bunk, and leaped down.

He landed barefoot, his movements as light as a cat's, making no sound upon impact.

Taking a look at Raul, who was still fast asleep, Noah changed his clothes and brought along the 'Thunderclap' sword.

After leaving a note on the desk that read, 'I'm heading to the Dungeon to explore for a few days, no need to worry,' he quietly left the bedroom.

From a corner in the tower corridor, Noah retrieved the package he had placed there the night before and went to the washroom.

Opening the package, it revealed a pale silver metallic luster; this was the protective gear he had commissioned the Goibniu Familia to craft for fifty million Valis, a task that took them a full week to complete.

Noah had gone to pick it up from the Goibniu Familia yesterday after receiving a follow-up checkup from that little girl, Amid, at Dian Cecht Hospital.

The deep blue combat suit was crafted by the artisans using their 'divine craftsmanship,' primarily composed of a tough silk produced in the deep layers of the Dungeon and mithril woven into threads. It incorporated many rare materials, providing considerable puncture resistance without hindering flexibility, while also possessing properties of self-cleaning, anti-corrosion, anti-toxin, and fire resistance.

The sturdy yet lightweight pale silver armor had a matte, non-reflective finish, primarily protecting vital areas such as the chest, shoulders, and back.

The areas requiring mobility, such as the abdomen, lower back, and thighs, were covered in black scale armor with a textured finish, complemented by a cloak and waist cloth that offered high magical resistance.

Noah, who had initially worried about whether he would feel restricted, couldn't help but marvel at how worth it those fifty million Valis were after moving around in the gear for a few moments.

It was hard to say how effective the protection was, but the armor felt almost weightless on his body and made absolutely no sound.

Looking at his armored reflection in the mirror, Noah knew for certain that no one else was around at this hour, yet he still subconsciously scanned his surroundings.

Once he confirmed he was truly alone, he couldn't help but draw his sword, put on a cold expression, and strike a few poses that he felt were incredibly cool, even though he knew full well that if anyone saw him, it would be social suicide.

Come on, it's armor!

As the saying goes, just as women cannot resist new clothes, men cannot resist new armor, much like a stray cat cannot resist the scent of fish.

Besides, what was the point of wearing new armor if you didn't strike a few poses in it?

After finishing his poses, Noah finally calmed down, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

After checking the potions in his pouch—the ones he probably wouldn't need but had prepared anyway—he quietly slipped out of the washroom.

As he walked toward the main gate, Noah instinctively held his head high, his cloak billowing behind him as if caught in an invisible breeze.

Today, nearly half a month after joining the Loki Familia and becoming an adventurer, Noah was determined to embark on his first adventure!

Joking aside, a man born between heaven and earth should not have his path blocked by two women!

Even if a Heavenly God showed up today, Noah was absolutely not going to go back to studying those mind-numbing books!

He was going to adven—

Pushing open the heavy doors, he was met with the cold light of dawn and a biting wind.

Wisps of cloud rose like tiny white waves in the pale western sky, and the chirping of birds fell like a gentle drizzle; it promised to be a beautiful, clear day.

More intoxicating than the beautiful morning scenery was the elegant Elf leaning against the pillar by the eaves.

Her crystal-clear, emerald-green hair swayed in the wind, framing a delicate and refined face.

With her long lashes closed and her thin, pink lips slightly pursed, her resting posture exuded the pure, quiet beauty of an epiphyllum blooming under the moonlight.

And when she opened those emerald eyes—the same color as her hair—and looked toward Noah, it felt as if a thousand flowers had suddenly bloomed in the moonlight.

But if you asked Noah if he dared to move, he truly didn't; he even wished time could rewind, or at the very least, stop right at this moment...

Yet, no matter how hard Noah prayed in his heart, time would neither rewind nor stop.

Furthermore, while he stood frozen, Riveria began to move, walking toward him with a beautiful yet chilling smile on her face.

"What's wrong? Not leaving?"

Noah pursed his lips and instinctively looked away, studying the patterns on the door pillar as if they held some profound secret.

Who told him to try and sneak out only to get caught red-handed?

Seeing Noah, who was usually unflappable, looking uncharacteristically guilty, Riveria became intrigued, the corners of her eyes curving into crescent moons.

She rested her left hand under her right elbow, her fair, slender fingers tapping the air.

"Noah, oh Noah, I recall someone begging to take my magic lessons, telling me, 'It's just a magic course, isn't it? I'll head to the Dungeon once I'm done.' Do you know who that person was?"

Who knew back then that the "course" you were talking about meant thousands of books thicker than bricks!

The books I've read in the last decade don't even add up to what I've had to read in these past few days!

Feeling that Riveria was about to take the opportunity to lecture him further, Noah suddenly lunged before she could say another word!

His armored hands gripped the hand she had been using to point her pale, slender finger, and Noah opened his eyes wide, staring straight at the Elf Royalty.

"Riveria!"

Over the past half-month of friendly (strict) interaction (instruction), Riveria had long since grown accustomed to the distance at which she and Noah sat.

But even so, she had never expected Noah to pull a move like this.

The first thought that flashed through Riveria's mind was—

So big!

So hot!

...She was referring to Noah's palm.

Are all men's palms this broad and powerful?

Usually, when watching him hold a pen to write, his fingers looked so long and slender that she had assumed they were similar to a woman's.

However, with her palm completely enveloped and that heat seemingly traveling up her arm and making her body go limp, Riveria finally realized the true difference between men and women!

"What... what are you doing?!!"

As the words left her lips, Riveria heard the tremor in her own voice and was suddenly afraid that Noah might notice.

But Noah's expression remained unchanged; he simply stared at her with his deep blue eyes reflecting the morning light, radiating an invisible pressure.

"Do you know what it feels like to encounter a new enemy and be unable to defeat him, to put on new armor and be unable to use it, or to learn new magic and be unable to wield it?"

His firm voice carried an unprecedented intensity of emotion, which, along with the warmth from his palm, transmitted into Riveria's heart, leaving her momentarily dazed.

From the very first moment she met Noah, this boy had never joked, nor had he ever shown a smile.

Whether it was toward her, the Elf Royalty, or toward Loki, the patron deity of the Loki Familia, he was always so calm... at most, he would grit his teeth while drinking medicine or furrow his brows while reading.

Yet that calmness was not indifference; it was clear that Noah was not suppressing himself, but rather that he truly lacked any emotional fluctuation.

Until today...

"I! Need to fight! But ever since joining the Loki Familia and becoming an adventurer, I haven't had a single scrap in a full half-month! I can't even remember the last time I went more than ten days without a battle... so today, I am going to the Dungeon!"

This was the first time Riveria had felt such intense emotion erupt from Noah.

32 Riveria curled her toes.

Noah wanted to use the new magic he had learned!

Noah wanted to adventure!

Noah wanted to fight!

The boy standing within arm's reach conveyed his will through the warmth of his palm and the radiance in his eyes, leaving Riveria somewhat at a loss.

Caught in a momentary daze, she couldn't help but take in Noah's features.

It was as if she were observing him for the very first time.

Noah's silver hair was not a common white or silver-gray, but a shimmering, molten silver, thick and distinct in every strand.

Even in the dim environment, it faintly glimmered.

Yet even so, it still could not compare to his fair skin, which was so pale it was almost translucent.

Among his handsome, youthful features, the most eye-catching and impressive part was undoubtedly those azure eyes that brought to mind a clear, glacial river.