Danmachi - Eldritch Apostle

A/N: I just wanted to point out a timeline of the events as of now, one month and a couple of days passed since Niall got reincarnated.

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Looking at the city mostly made out of wood, I gave Ottar a side-eye as the people around us began moving away. I could understand the fear of the strongest adventurer, but Ottar was a noble, good person who would never harm an innocent life.

"Honestly, Ottar, people are scared of you way too much... Now people will start gossiping about how I am the new member of Freya Familia. Hopefully, your goddess won't mind such lowly gossip."

He sighed and looked at me, "Of course she won't mind, but she is a bit saddened that you won't accept her invitation...."

His calm attitude changed into a more serious one. I knew very well what he was trying to do, but unfortunately for him, such tactics don't work on me.

"I am saddened that she is saddened, but there's nothing you can do to change my opinion. You could always kidnap me, of course, but in the end, the result would be the same."

The huge Boaz stared down at my much smaller figure for a couple of moments before giving up and turning his back on me. He wanted to escort me to the surface, but I quickly tapped him on the foot.

"I'm going to stay in this city for a while. You can go back to the surface without me... I can handle the battle from this point forward."

Staring at me for a couple of seconds made me wonder if he was going to force me to go with him or not. Thankfully for me, Ottar gave up and let me be. His massive shadow, created by the crystals above, grew more distant with each step he took.

When the huge man finally left the city, the streets became crowded again. People were now looking a lot more relaxed since the boar had left, but all the attention was now directed at me.

People were curious about a boy traveling along with the strongest adventurer in Orario. Even then, they were careful around me, fearing they might provoke a possible member of Freya Familia.

Wanting to get away from the curious crowd, I decided to visit the bar where Bors worked. Just then, I realized that I was missing my backpack with loot. A moment of realization struck me; my pockets only carried a small number of valises.

'Fuck my life, how the fuck haven't I noticed my backpack missing before? Now some monster could eat those monster cores and cause a stir. Just great.'

With no money to spend, the only thing left for me was to sit down somewhere and rethink my sanity after such a crucial loss. I could never financially recover from this if it weren't for my body's lack of need for food or water for survival.

But my clothes were ragged and torn in some spots. I had to buy new ones because people would think of me as a homeless adventurer. 'Homeless adventurer would be a good nickname, though.'

The streets were bustling with life and various merchants trying to scam newbie adventurers. Prices here were sky-high compared to the city on the surface. It was like buying a new car except the car was shittier than the used one, just much more expensive.

My boots pressed the dirt on the ground through the city. At every corner, a stand shop stood with high prices all over it. Merchants in this city were built differently; they couldn't care less if it was expensive for someone, and they wouldn't lower their prices no matter what.

A bunch of merchants called out to me to sell me their overpriced crap. Like any other experienced adventurer, I just ignored their calls and went my own way.

The day went on, and the night finally fell to the world above. Huge crystals hanging on the 18th floor began to emit a blue but low glow. Such low but magnificent light made a perfect scenery to sleep, lay, and turn your mind off.

That was if I could only do something like that. I couldn't sleep or feel tired, but I could at least rest on the ground as I watched the crystals above. Ever since I came to this world, I've been through a lot—things I could only dream of before.

Things were happening too fast in such a short period, and surviving those hardships made me a stronger person than I was before. Perhaps one day I could settle in with Azathoth and live in eternity alongside her, perhaps even travel with her between universes.

Closing my eyes for a second, I focused on the sounds of crickets. The green grass offered me nice comfort to think about life for a moment. The ambiance around me brought back nostalgic memories of summer.

An autumn night was something special for me back in the days when I used to be just a regular human inside a dystopian world ruled by big corporations. Chilly wind howling outside while the rain calmly fell on the ground covered with yellow leaves.

With my two hands offering my head a pillow, I relaxed on the grassy dungeon ground when all of a sudden, footsteps could be heard approaching me. They were normal footsteps, which meant that this person wasn't trying to hide their presence from me.

Opening my eyes quickly, I calmly began to rise to my feet while the footsteps came closer. I could see clearly in the dark, so there wasn't any chance of someone ambushing me using the darkness.

The steps got closer and closer until a figure revealed itself in front of me. A slender girl in her teens stood before me. Her black hair was long with a part of it braided at the top, and her whole presence screamed nobility.

She stared at me for a couple of moments with a look of doubt in her eyes. I guessed she was still uncertain about how to approach me. Her light, purple armor shined in the crystal glow from above, revealing its quality.

"I am sorry for disturbing you and approaching you out of nowhere, but let me introduce myself first. My name is Karen Morris, and I've come to seek your aid. God Hermes told me that I should search for you."

'Of fucking course.' A thought passed through my mind as I imagined Hermes laughing right now. The dude just involved me in something troublesome again. Not that I minded now that I was stronger, but it could've waited for tomorrow.

"We can speak or whatever, but I won't do it in an open spot like here. Let's find a place where no one can hear us." That sentence sounded very suspicious, suspicious enough that she raised an eyebrow before nodding.

Both of us moved inside the dark forest where no one resided. We sat down on nearby logs, and Karen turned her head to me.

"Let me explain. My familia is going through difficult times... we have a beef with god Aeshma and his familia."

The moment I heard that, I knew it was finally time for me to complete that killing quest.