The not-a-date with Eina was amazing—everything he anticipated from an anime-style date.
There were a few hiccups, like meeting the one person he was avoiding for reasons he himself wasn't fully aware of—fanfictions and their own twisted logic.
Syr was the girl most protagonists avoided. To his dismay, he didn't know why. However, he wasn't going to break the tradition. His predecessors must have put some thought behind that action after all.
So when they nearly collided at the end of breakfast, he hurriedly took Miss Eina and got out of there while the girl was still in a daze.
"From now on, I'm not going anywhere within ten kilometres of the Hostess."
He was determined to avoid all typical anime-style clichés. He wasn't inviting any drama.
So, with that mindset, he properly showed his gratitude to Miss Eina one more time, mentally once again filing away that he'd treat her when he got some cash in hand, and rushed for the dungeon.
If there was one place in this city he couldn't fail to find, it was the Dungeon. Built under the biggest bloody tower this world had to offer, not even the great maze of a city called Orario could stop him.
By the time he was ready to enter the dungeon, it was already noon. He planned to toil the entire day in the dungeon, but Eina took way more time than he anticipated.
'It was worth it though.'
By the time he arrived, he found many adventurers from various races lingering around the gate—many planning to enter, while a few were leaving.
Many seemed to be waiting for their partners.
Orion swept his gaze around to find any noticeable figure among them, but he found none. So with that, he stood in line obediently.
[What thou art doing?]
Marika, who had been quiet all this time, sightseeing much like him, suddenly spoke up, looking at him like he was some sort of idiot.
"Jo—hmmm," Orion almost stumbled over his words, seeing a few adventurers giving him side-eyes. For them, he was very clearly talking to the air.
After lowering his voice and doing a few silent gestures at the goddess with abhorrent timing to start a conversation—to come closer—he finally spoke.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm joining the line to enter the dungeon," he whispered.
[And prithee tell, why thou art doing so, when thee could simply teleport inside by the last grace thee touched.]
Marika spoke, one brow raised, looking at him like he really was an idiot.
"Ah… that…" He was speechless. Really, why didn't he think of that? However, it wasn't that easy. He didn't even know that he could do it, never tried it, and hadn't learned how yet.
He was just about to ask her. However, he doubted—just like usual—that she expected him to already know.
'Sigh… what a troublesome golden finger I have. Why is she included in it if she doesn't come with a tutorial module?' he muttered under his breath and opened his console commands where he saw his status.
He hadn't seen everything in it yet.
Well, honestly, there wasn't much to see anyway.
Navigating around, he finally found where he wished to teleport.
Orario DungeonFloor One Entrance…
'Yup, that looks like it.'
He was just about to click and go beyond light speed when suddenly his fingers stopped a few inches apart from the hologram button.
He looked around himself again and steadily retreated his finger.
'Idiot, were you planning to teleport in front of everyone?' He mentally kicked himself. Good thing he stopped himself in time.
Quietly leaving the line, he found himself a quiet corner where he could activate the ability.
A burst of golden light engulfed him. For a second, he felt his body go weightless. The golden light was so intense that he had no option but to close his eyes. Otherwise, he wished to see how teleportation actually looked from the user's perspective.
And the next second, with a flash of yellow, he became Minato Namikaze…
Inside the hidden room where he had beaten Rick, he appeared once again. The room was separated in such a way that others couldn't find it easily, even when it was so close to the entrance.
The grace that eternally floated in that room suddenly brightened, and the next second Orion appeared there like he had always been there.
There was no discomfort or loss of stability on his account.
'Amazing. This is gonna make my life a whole lot easier.' He grinned, enthusiasm bubbling up. 'Who's coming to work first' race.
'If only I had one of these back at the office.' Orion seriously lamented the matter.
Moving on, he took out his trusty blade and the small shield he used against Rick, ready to start hacking. Leaving the hidden room that connected to the blind side of the main road where none could see, he mixed in with other adventurers.
'I wonder if every Site of Grace is hidden like this one—then I'm done for. I'm never gonna find them. Though it could be just because this was a boss room…'
He pondered and decided to open his status once again, this time looking for the only other Site of Grace he had responded to after dying to the goblins—where he met Marika.
It was there.
First Floor Intersection…
Basically the middle of the floor.
'Meaning there should be one at the end of the floor as well,' he guessed.
Only three Sites of Grace definitely weren't enough for him. However, he also knew that the first few floors were the smallest, thanks to Eina.
As he went deeper in, the size of the dungeon increased. So perhaps he'd have more Sites of Grace there.
With that in mind, he moved on, and not long afterward he encountered some old friends.
[Ah… the green gremlins. I wondered why I could not see them.]
Marika spoke, a bit strained in her tone. It was obvious she was trying to adapt to modern English just as much as Orion was trying to understand her Old English.
"HAAAA—!" Orion charged, shield in front. He rammed into them with all his force, knocking a few aside, opening a path before his sword hacked into several of them, instantly killing them.
While he was still level one, he was surprised how underrated the improvement in between the levels was. The stat difference from I to H made a difference—not a huge one, but a difference nonetheless.
Orion cut through the goblins like a man who had finally figured out which end of the sword was supposed to be dangerous.
It wasn't elegant.It wasn't refined.But it worked.
Steel flashed. Green bodies fell. Crude blades scraped past him only to meet empty air as he sidestepped with growing confidence.
Dodge step—too early.Dodge step—too late.Dodge step—perfect.
The rhythm was finally settling into his bones, instinct overriding panic.
He still couldn't get the hang of dodge rolls yet, but that was fine. He planned to practice in his off time.
"Okay," he muttered, panting lightly as the last goblin collapsed in a heap. "So this is what competence feels like."
[Yes… so that is how it feels, is it not? Had I known no better, I might well have taken thee for one utterly lacking in competence. Yet behold—thou dost surprise even me.]
Marika added from the side, completely uninterested in him hacking away at the "little gremlins," as she put it.
Orion was genuinely happy that she didn't know about his previous life. Her mistaking him for the Elden Lord was still better than her knowing him as a 9-to-5 Gen Z.
He didn't linger. He kept moving, pushing through the floor with stubborn determination. Each skirmish sharpened him further. His movements grew tighter, his reactions faster. He still took the occasional nick—a scratch on the arm, a glancing blow to the ribs—but nothing like before.
Compared to his first encounter, this felt like a breeze.
Almost.
At last, the corridor seemed to come to an end.
And there it was.
A wall of swirling mist, pale and ominous, breathing like some colossal beast waiting on the other side.
Orion stopped dead.
"…You've gotta be kidding me. I did beat Rick, didn't I? Why is this thing here again?"
Boss fog.
Again.
[So it would seem. I do wonder this time whether thy path leadeth not merely to escape this dungeon… but to press ever deeper within it.]
What could he do? Nothing but get ready for another deadly fight.
He rolled his shoulders, adjusted his grip, checked his flasks—surprisingly, he had all of them left—and took a slow breath. Whatever was on the other side, he'd face it like he had everything else: badly, but with effort.
He stepped forward.
The fog swallowed him whole.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT!?"
Orion froze.
The mist cleared.
Standing in the center of the chamber was a man in a dirty white tank top, cargo pants, and an expression that screamed severe psychological instability. He was bald, scarred, twitchy—and holding something that looked suspiciously like a crowbar.
Orion stared.
The man stared back.
"…No," Orion said slowly. "No, no, no, no. Absolutely not."
"WHAT UP WITH YOU, JACKASS, SEEN YOUR MAMA F****"
"…Why," Orion whispered to the universe, "why is another game character here?"
"OI, WHO ARE YOU CALLING A GAME CHARACTER— I AIN'T NO FUCKING CHARACTER…
"TREVOR FUCKING PHILIPS, THAT'S ME—"
xXx
A/N : Hahah... just a little gag there. But this sets the rythm I guess. Enemies from all kind of places will come to bother him from now on.
And he, being the souls player had to overcome the challenge.