In Danmachi with My System

"Thanks for the update. I'm going out for a bit."

"Hey, wait!" Hestia ran after me, her quick footsteps echoing off the floor of the small room. "You can't just go out and leave me like this! Ei-kun, come back!"

I turned around to look at her. Today was supposed to be a day of rest, but I had an appointment with the guild. They approached me yesterday and said to come as soon as possible. What do they want from me?

With a sigh, I leaned over, my hand finding its way to the top of her head. Her silky hair felt soothing under my palm as I patted it gently.

"What are you, still a cat?"

Her pout softened slightly, but stubbornly clung to her lips. I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

"I'll take you out later, I promise."

That simple promise was enough. I watched her expression soften, though she still had that pout on her lips.

***

I arrived at the guild after traversing the busy streets of Orario. Inside, adventurers talked loudly, clerks processed applications, and the sound of quills tearing parchment was constant. It wasn't long before I noticed Rose, who beckoned me with a simple gesture from behind the counter.

She was my personal advisor. In the guild, adventurers could choose a guild staff to guide them through their daily quests and tasks. Choosing someone was not as simple as asking, the other party had to agree. And Rose had accepted.

It was unusual, considering her reputation. She was quite popular among the men in the guild, which was obvious from her beautiful appearance. But her cold stare and sharp words kept most of them at a distance. She didn't seem to mind, in fact, she seemed pleased.

However, I still found it strange that she just accepted me. Sometimes I even wondered if I was really that good-looking.

I ignored all the background noise and walked over to Rose. She didn't seem to have changed her usual expression.

"Were you looking for me for something important?"

Rose gave me one of her usual stern looks, those golden eyes that seemed to want to pierce me. It amused me to see her like that, especially with that little fang sticking out from between her lips. As always, she tried to look intimidating, but it didn't affect me anymore.

Umu, cutie.

"Follow me."

She stopped her hand on the paper she was checking and motioned for me without saying much more.

I silently followed her as we made our way to the private meeting room. There were no prying eyes, no sound of adventurers chattering or the chaos of the guild. Just the two of us. Those moments alone with Rose were especially nice, if you ask me.

We sat facing each other. Rose was rearranging some papers while her expression remained neutral, though I knew her well enough to sense that something was on her mind.

"Well?"

"You know this thing, don't you?"

Rose dropped a magic stone on the table. Most of the Magic Stones you got in the dungeon were just shards, maybe the size of a fingernail, but this purple crystal was almost complete. You could see the lightning dancing in it, and the lightning was denser and brighter than normal.

One of that size could only belong to a boss.

I recognized it immediately. I hadn't expected to see it again, let alone in Rose's hands.

"I got it from a Boss."

Actually, the system identified it as a mini-boss, but the ones here were more used to calling it a Boss.

"I thought so." Her fingers closed around the crystal. "Have you heard what's going on in the dungeon?"

I nodded. The Guild had shut down the dungeon for a few days, posting warnings and blocking the entrances. Apparently, the monsters had become more aggressive, and worse, new types of enemies had appeared. Something that should not happen without a reason.

"So, have they figured out where the new enemies are coming from?"

Rose sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's what we're trying to figure out. Ever since the changes began, the guild has been searching for clues in the magic stones that are being sold. And..." she pointed to the stone in her hand, "other than the ones brought by the Loki Familia, this was one of the more abnormal ones."

"..."

Indeed, the culprit was sitting right in front of her.

"When the staff investigated who sold this stone, they found out it was you."

"And what does that have to do with me? I was just doing the work of any adventurer."

As far as I knew, this conversation wasn't the only reason the guild had decided to call me. There had to be something else.

"The Guild needs your help to investigate further. They want you to give them all the details about this new monster."

Ah, so that was it. Part of the guild's job was to gather information about monsters, especially if they were new or anomalous, and then share that data with the adventurers so they could better prepare.

"What kind of monster was it?" she asked, pulling out a pen and a sheet of paper.

"Some kind of giant ant. It appeared on the seventh floor. I wasn't supposed to be there yet, but you know that. So please don't scold me!"

Rose's lips seemed to be in a quivering contest. After fighting her own anger, she sighed and wrote frantically. Without looking up, she threw the question at me:

"How did you defeat it?"

I scratched my head and thought for a second before answering.

"Its shell was extremely tough. I climbed onto its back and used my hand to open a crack between the plates of its armor, and there I plunged my sword into it. Ah, actually, its exoskeletons were pretty close together, so don't blame me for making such a suicidal attack."

—Crack!

Huh? Was that a pen breaking? That's weird.

"It also spits acid. As for its mobility..."

Rose continued writing in silence, but why do I feel like I'm one step away from turning into an ice cube?

"..."

This could save more than one adventurer's life in the future, so I left nothing out. I talked about how it moved, how it attacked, even the signals it emitted to command the smaller ants. Anything useful.

Rose finished writing and looked up. Hey, those eyes are creepy.

"From what you said, defeating this boss requires at least a level 3 adventurer or a level 2 party... But to defeat it without a party... you..."

Um... Would you be so kind as to avert your gaze? Hey, you're freezing me!

Only after she drilled me with her fierce eyes, she sighed.

"When an adventurer discovers a new creature, the guild allows the adventurer to name it."

You have the opportunity to name this Boss, she said.

For a moment, I thought about ignoring the offer, but then I remembered that the system had already registered this mini-boss.

"Lethal Ant."

Rose nodded and noted the name.

"Lethal Ant, then. It will be registered as such in the guild files."

She put down her papers and looked at me again.

"Thank you for the information.

Could you add a little sweetness to your thanks?

"Well, if that's all, I'd like to say goodbye."

"Wait a moment."

I rose from the chair, ready to leave, but Rose stopped me with a gesture.

She left the room and returned a few minutes later carrying a bag that looked like it was about to burst. What was in it? I was surprised by what I saw. It was big, even bigger than... well, those breasts.

"Here." She held out her hand and put it in front of me.

I opened it out of curiosity. What I saw made me rub my eyes, and when I opened them again, the contents were still there. I slapped myself lightly, wondering if I was dreaming. But I shouldn't be, because my cheeks were burning.

"What is that?"

"It's two million Valis."

I was silent for a few seconds, letting the information sink in. Two million Valis was not a small amount—no! This amount was simply ridiculous!

Then why did Rose give it to me?

I threw a suspicious glance in her direction and asked her the question.

Rose crossed her arms and calmly explained:

"The Magic Stone you got from the Lethal Ant was worth two hundred thousand Valis. On the day you sold it, the guild employee couldn't see its true quality, so he didn't give you what was due at that time. The guild also offers five hundred thousand valis to adventurers who discover new monsters and help us describe them. But if it's a new boss, the reward goes up to two million."

Still, giving me this amount... Suddenly I felt Rose looked prettier.

She scanned me carefully from head to toe, holding a hand to her chin. She gave me a sidelong glance, and only then did I notice the uncertainty in her golden eyes. Something wanted to say, but she seemed hesitant.

"Is something wrong?"

She pursed her lips for a moment, as if trying to find the right words. Finally she spoke.

"For this week... the dungeon is closed."

"I know. Why do you mention it?"

She was silent again, and I didn't know what she was getting at. She still hadn't said what she really wanted to.

Rose took a deep breath and finished the sentence, more determined this time.

"What I mean is, since you're free these days... if you want to buy some adventuring stuff... well, I can go out with you to buy it."

Huh?

***

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