The Journey Begins in DanMachi

"Ais! Are you alright?"

That familiar emerald silhouette merged with the image of her mother in her memories, causing Ais to tilt her small head in a daze as she moved her parched lips.

"...Mo, Mother?"

As the whisper drifted through the air, Riveria Ljos Alf could no longer restrain herself. Her eyes instantly grew hot and blurred, and she longed to rush forward and pull the battered Ais into her embrace.

Noah, meanwhile, widened his eyes slightly, hesitantly scrutinizing the back of the girl's head.

Hiss, could this child's brain have been knocked loose?

Why is she going around calling everyone mother and father?

But when Noah saw the green-haired elf's eyes brimming with tears as she bit her lip, his resolve wavered.

No, are they really mother and daughter?

I can't see the resemblance at all.

One is an elf, the other is a human.

One has green hair, the other has gold.

Unable to make sense of it, Noah gave up on the thought and tossed Ais to the green-haired elf, sparing himself from looking like some evil villain standing in the way of a mother-daughter reunion.

"Ais!"

Caught off guard, Riveria instinctively let go of her staff and used both hands to catch Ais.

With a loud "clatter," the staff hit the ground, and even the nine gems that looked incredibly expensive grew dull.

A flash of light crossed the gems, which, to Noah, looked almost resentful.

After a quick check of Ais's body, Riveria hurriedly pulled out the Panacea she carried with her.

After feeding her half a vial, Riveria poured the remaining half directly onto Ais.

As a cloud of magical mist with a rich medicinal scent rose and dissipated, the many gruesome wounds on the girl's body were covered by the faintly shimmering, iridescent liquid and began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The flesh and bone in her chest knit back together, muscles and blood vessels reconnected, until even her skin was restored to its original state.

Watching this scene, Noah raised an eyebrow, once again confirming that the level of magic in this world was far higher than he had imagined.

However, as he watched, Noah's attention was inevitably drawn to the elf's fair neck.

Because she was leaning forward to cradle the girl, the elf's conservative high collar had opened slightly, revealing the curve of her collarbone.

The curve of her neck was taut and as graceful as a swan's, and her skin was so translucent and delicate that one could faintly see the blue veins beneath...

Elf blood must be very sweet, right?

At this thought, the weakened Noah couldn't help but bob his throat, swallowing saliva as he struggled with his inner urge.

Strictly speaking, Noah was not a pure-blooded human.

This was common in a magical world where many races coexisted—not to mention half-elves, half-beasts, half-dwarves, and half-dragons, which were everywhere.

But perhaps because it hadn't been fully developed, Noah wasn't sure what the alien bloodline within him actually was.

Aside from his magic being more active at night and in natural environments, his most unique trait was that he could obtain magic through the bodily fluids, especially the blood, of women with excellent aptitude.

Noah knew it sounded like a vampire, but the problem was that he wasn't afraid of sunlight—he actually quite liked sunbathing—and he lacked long fangs or the ability to turn into mist.

Therefore, Noah didn't dwell on it, simply assuming it was an atavistic trait from some ancient, extinct race.

After two vials of Panacea, Ais's breathing and pulse stabilized, and Riveria let out a sigh of relief.

Then, she realized she had forgotten something.

Riveria instinctively looked up and immediately locked eyes with a pair of azure blue eyes.

Silence reigned within the floor until Riveria snapped out of it, exclaiming as she picked up her staff from the ground, intending to strike a defensive pose.

But halfway through the motion, Riveria paused.

Although she didn't know where this stranger came from or why he had been holding Ais, the fact that he had voluntarily handed her over and hadn't attacked while she was distracted made it clear he was a friend, not a foe.

Since that was the case, her behavior was clearly uncalled for.

Realizing this, Riveria, who was known to the world and her companions as a calm and composed leader, couldn't help but feel her cheeks burn.

However, Riveria was a mature adult who had learned how to mask her embarrassment.

After all, as long as she wasn't embarrassed, the other person would be.

"Greetings. I am Riveria Ljos Alf, Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia. May I ask who you are?"

6 Hostess of Fertility

Watching the green-haired elf regain her calm and composure, Noah thought for a few seconds before choosing not to answer.

Until he recovered his strength and understood the state of this world, he wanted to avoid contact with others as much as possible.

Even if the other party was a good person, it was hard to predict how they would react upon learning he was from another world.

Noah, judging others by his own standards, knew he would certainly detain and interrogate an outsider first.

The silver-haired youth didn't answer or speak; after glancing at her twice, he picked up his sword and walked away.

This truly caught Riveria off guard.

That gaze clearly had nothing to do with politeness or friendliness, yet Riveria could not detect any coldness or rejection within it either.

If she had to describe it, it was as if someone were passing through a forest and caught a glimpse of wild deer fighting, casting a glance of complete indifference before moving on.

Tch, why do I have such a feeling?

It must be an illusion!

Perhaps this boy was a member of some Familia that had just arrived in Orario, and thus did not know of the Loki Familia?

Thinking this, Riveria looked at the silver-haired boy, whose injuries were no lighter than Ais's, and pulled out the last vial of Panacea she had.

Panacea was a precious potion with a starting price of over 500,000 Valis; now, with Dungeon exploration hindered and raw materials in short supply, the price had climbed even higher.

Even so, Panacea was still a commodity that would be snatched up the moment it went on sale—it could be said that there was a price, but no market.

Because this was a chaotic era where one could be attacked just walking down the street, every adventurer with a shred of sanity wanted a potion that could save their life in a critical moment, save for those bottom-feeders living in a drunken stupor.

If they couldn't obtain them directly from cooperative production-type Familias that they also needed to protect, even the Loki Familia, one of the two strongest factions in the city, would likely struggle to purchase many.

Even so, this batch of Panacea was still a drop in the bucket for the Loki Familia, which was always on the front lines of Dungeon exploration and fighting the Dark Faction.

The three vials Riveria had on her were brought specifically because she had a premonition of danger when she came out to find Ais.

"Um, if you don't mind, please take this."

Noah turned his head and saw a vial, the same kind that had just healed the little girl's wounds, being held out to him.

After a moment's thought, Noah accepted the potion.

He hadn't forgotten his sense of direction was abysmal; he was still in this bottomless Dungeon, and he didn't want to run out of magic before finding his way out.

Having a potion that could restore magic would allow him to be more relaxed when planning his route.

Seeing the precious Panacea accepted, Riveria breathed a sigh of relief.

"The headquarters of our Loki Familia is located at Twilight Manor in the north of the city. If you have the chance, please visit our humble abode so we may express our gratitude."

Holding the potion, Noah took one last look at Riveria before turning and leaving without a backward glance.

Watching the silver-haired boy's back disappear into the smoke and dust, it took Riveria quite a while to collect her thoughts.

"A mysterious boy..."

Just as Riveria was lost in thought, Ais let out a soft moan in her arms and slowly began to wake.

"Ais! How are you? Does your body still hurt? Is there anything uncomfortable?"

Seeing the usually calm Riveria acting so flustered and concerned, warmth, attachment, and guilt welled up in Ais's eyes.

The girl opened her arms to hug the female elven royalty, pressing her face against her chest.

"I... I'm okay now, Riveria."

Watching Ais, who was showing the soft attachment of an ordinary little girl, Riveria finally let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but gently stroke those smooth golden locks.

"Honestly..."

When Ais finished enjoying the hug and shyly raised her head—

"Since you're fine now, I think we should talk about you running off on your own—"

Seeing Riveria's expressionless face, from which a terrifying aura was radiating, Ais's small face turned pale.

"Ri, Riveria..."

Ais whimpered softly, but it could not sway the motherly discipline in the elf's heart.

*

Deep within a dark and profound corridor, the light revealed a massive, twisted, and ominous shadow, with roars echoing all around.

"Find Valetta. Tell her to tear that lowly human limb from limb for me and bring back the key—and avenge my hair!"

*

"Finally out!"

Among squads of equally blood-soaked and exhausted adventurers, Noah walked out of the first floor of Babel.

Looking up at the pitch-black night sky—which felt somewhat oppressive due to the lingering rain, yet far more spacious than the underground caverns—Noah felt like roaring at the top of his lungs.

Unsurprisingly, after leaving the twelfth floor, Noah had quickly lost his way in the tunnels that twisted up, down, left, and right.

He had walked for the better part of the day before finding another group of adventurers who looked like they were returning to the surface, and by following them from a distance, he finally made it back.

If I had known, I wouldn't have tried to act cool; at the very least, I should have followed them out... Next time, I must find someone who knows the way before going down again!

After washing the dust and bloodstains from his body in the cold rain, Noah weighed the bag in his hand, listening to the crisp clinking of coins colliding.

While lost in the Dungeon, Noah had inevitably encountered many monsters and killed batch after batch.

Although he was in another world, picking up materials after defeating monsters had become an instinct etched into his bones.

Well, the monsters in this world automatically drop materials when they die, no manual dissection required—clean and hygienic, it's simply the best!

On the third floor of the chalk-white giant tower known as Babel, Noah exchanged all those items for coin.

Now, it was time to find a place to have a proper meal and get some rest.

With that thought in mind, Noah scanned the spacious circular plaza before settling on a street that appeared to have more foot traffic.

Perhaps due to the persistent cold rain and the late hour, the streets were sparsely populated, and the few people he did see wore gloomy expressions.

Armed personnel in uniform were patrolling the area, casting wary glances from time to time at Noah, who was covered in wounds and carrying weapons.

Noah was experienced with this sort of situation.

He stood stock-still in the middle of the street, staring at them as if they were monkeys. After the guards took a look and shouted, "Newbie, get home already!", they turned and walked away.

The air was thick with tension and vigilance, though Noah couldn't tell if this was just the local atmosphere or if some major event had recently occurred.

He wouldn't have cared much, but the problem was that after searching around, he found that most of the taverns and restaurants were closed!

Even though it was well past dinner time, shouldn't a city teeming with adventurers have taverns and restaurants bustling until dawn?

Was the public order really this poor?

He followed the street all the way to the towering city walls before taking another path back. By the time Noah snapped out of his thoughts, he realized he had nearly circled back to the plaza beneath the giant tower.

Just as Noah was about to give up, his vision finally caught a glimmer of warm light piercing the darkness.

Hostess of Fertility?

Hmm, this one will do. If I don't eat soon, I'm going to starve to death.

7 The Ash-Haired Girl