Danmachi: A Different Hero

Chapter 2: Realization

It had been a week since Bell had applied. Something that he couldn't predict happened: Nobody wanted him in their Familia.

It was understandable, he looked like a weak, scrawny, fool who only experienced the Dungeon through books, and as much as Bell didn't want to admit it, they were right. 

Bell admonished himself for thinking that being an adventurer would be easy. He was ashamed that he realized just now that there was a big reason why there weren't many heroes like the Argonaut.

Becoming an adventurer was hard, and leveling up was even harder. A stupid kid like him had no place next to all of the other adventurers. 

Still, he wasn't just about to give up. His already small amount of money was starting to run out, so he needed to act fast.

   Clutching his Guild daggers, he ran towards Babel, the large tower housing the Dungeon. He would have to somehow get stronger in the dungeon without a Falna. 

And so, with this in mind, he ventured into the deep, unforgiving place that was the Dungeon.

...

Freya looked down at the great city of Orario. 

She clicked her tongue with boredom. There were no interesting souls. 

Suddenly, something caught her eye; two young men with interesting souls. 

The first one was a boy with black hair and a black sword with runes carved on it strapped across his back. He was walking down the street with someone next to him, presumably his goddess. 

No matter, she would just have to take him forcefully. 

What attracted her was his soul. 

He had a golden soul that emitted bravery and strength. It vaguely reminded her of the Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, but she shook off the thought. 

The other soul was something she had never seen before. The soul produced a brilliant white light, and was completely transparent.

It radiated naivety, yet it also displayed his intense desire to become stronger and to become a hero. It was owned by a small boy who had the features of a rabbit, characteristics she had never seen before. 

She wanted them both, but first, she wanted to see them grow stronger.

...

Bell pushed a goblin to the ground, and then stabbed it in the stomach. It evaporated into a puff of black smoke with an awful shriek, and then disappeared, the only traces of it being a small purple stone, something Bell identified as a Magic Stone. 

His opponents were goblins. 

They weren't really the strongest foes, and didn't drop impressive magic stones either. 

Bell sighed as he picked up a Magic Stone whose size was comparable to a mere pebble. 

These stones weren't worth much, and if he wanted more valuable ones, he would have to travel deeper into the Dungeon. 

He leaned against a wall, enjoying a well-deserved break. He caught his breath as he waited for the goblins to respawn. 

This was going well! 

Despite having no Familia nor a Falna, he was strong enough to kill the weak monsters. From there, he could collect their magic stones and buy better gear. Though not exactly on equal footing with other adventurers, he would start as a weakling, and then work his way up there, just like other adventurers. 

He smiled at the thought, before standing up to face the newly respawned monsters.

A few hours had gone by, and his whole body ached with exhaustion. 

He had fought and fought nonstop, only taking breaks when the Dungeon had to respawn new monsters for him. 

His bloody dagger was starting to dull, making the whole process slower. 

His movements were sloppy with exhaustion, and he was getting more and more injuries because of it. 

A deep gash ran from the top of his left shoulder down to the waist. 

Cuts and bruises could be spotted all over his body. 

A small, mangled cloth that was once a shirt hang loosely to his body, only staying on because of the sweat gluing it in place. 

His legs had injuries everywhere, the most notable being a long, bloody slash on his right knee, making him limp heavily. 

The pain was unbearable; he wanted to just collapse onto the floor. He knew that wasn't possible, the risk of monsters was too great. 

He forced himself to go deeper and deeper, work harder and harder, yet the injuries were getting to him. With a sigh, he decided that it was time to return to back to the surface; back to Orario.

He climbed back to the surface, ignoring the terrible pain that simply walking caused him. He just needed to get to the Guild so he could exchange his Magic Stones for Valises, that was all. 

In his mind, if he couldn't even do this, then he would be unworthy of the title "Hero". 

That was unacceptable. 

He had made up his mind to become a hero, no matter what. 

He limped out of the Dungeon, and onto the streets of Orario. He ignored the judging comments and the weird looks that he attracted. 

So what if he looked like he'd been through hell? 

So what if he looked unworthy of being an adventurer? 

He would just have to work harder and harder, until he could meet their expectations. Right now, his objective was to get to the Guild, and if being the subject of judgement of the passerby was the cost, then he was going to pay it. 

Finally, he reached the Guild. He extended a shaky hand and reached for the door, but before he could open it, the pain became too much, and he lost consciousness.