Archon of Danmachi

With his increased prowess as a level two Nox decided to see if the Goliath had spawned or not and finally visit Rivira. He was also looking to expand his monster forces. Speaking of which, Ash's small and cute form was a major hit with the ladies so he was thinking of getting a cutesy monster like an Almiraj to see if he could get even more attention form the opposite sex.

His taming of a Almiraj was a success considering the overwhelming difference in power although Ash was quite jealous of this new rival that Nox named Luna. Lili watched on from the side, utterly stupefied at Nox's petting of monsters and his care of them as his pets. He started feeding Luna magic stones as well and didn't stop doing the same for Ash.

The group moved through the floors quite easily, Although Lili was surprised they would go further down she followed along thinking her great Nox-sama had it all under control, a thought heavily reinforced when he shared that he spent his last two days before his level up on this floors.

The pallum had long decided to throw her common sense out of the window. If what she saw Nox doing before was outrageous for a Level One, what she saw him doing now was utterly impossible for a Level 2 but disagreeing with the world's common sense, Nox just kept going until he reached the Big Wall of Grief which spawns the Monster Rex Goliath.

Just as he hoped, it seemed no one had defeated it yet so he was raring to try on his first Monster Rex. Nox told Lili, Ash and Luna to move away as the Goliath appeared from the wall ready to be pummeled into oblivion.

In the spirit of testing the giant out, Nox unleashed the fire version of his Spirit Missile Storm, the Salamander Missile Storm. Although the barrage caused visible damage, it was not too debilitating debilitating for his huge opponent a grey skinned humanoid over seven meters tall.

Following this, Nox activated the basic Invictus as he charged at the Goliath. His weapons a two handed sword and a shield strapped to his forearm. As he swung his weapon a huge blast of magical energy exploded out from it.

(A/N: Like Saber Alter vs Berserker but in a different color and smaller scale!)

The Goliath tried blocking it with his arm but instantly lost it, still receiving some damage to its torso. This level of power not only amazed Lili who was watching and further increased the worship of his tamed monsters but it also surprised Nox himself.

'Damn! This spell has become even more broken since my level up! I can probably own the middle floors quite easily now but no use going beyond that. There's much to be gained before heading to the deep floors . . .' Nox thought to himself as he evaluated his power.

Truthfully, his ability already matched that of a Level 4 adventurer's if he used Invictus. Thus he easily pwned the Goliath without even using the enhanced boost from the Archon skill that could be activated at the cost of physical and spiritual strain. He made a note to find an opponent worthy of being his test subject for him to use his full power.

Another two Invictus powered swings of Nox's longsword and the goliath was no more. Removing the big magic stone and collecting the drop items before placing everything in his Item Box, the boy took Lili, Ash and Luna to the safe zone. He spent a little while finding a decently hidden place in the relatively big open floor before starting his little project.

Although he had focused on creating spells for combat, he had also created spell to manipulate the environment in order to create hideouts in any place in the dungeon's "safe" floors. He then created an underground shelter away from prying eyes. With an air circulation system powered by magic stones. This invention already existed ad Nox only retrofitted it to work on his new hideout.

Lili's honest change in attitude had been enough for him and since she was loyal to him and him alone, Nox didn't mind showing her this bit of trust which only made her fall even deeper for him. He took out furniture from his Item Box and by the time he was done, Nox had made a veritable underground mansion. As his skill in item making improved in the future, he would make upgrades.

Since today was merely a test run, after taking Lili out on a date in Rivira, Nox decided to return to the surface. He didn't risk to take Ash and Luna around due to the high number of adventurers in the town much their displeasure but their mood was improved through petting and magic stones.

Lili asked if she could use this hideout as her home, surprising Nox greatly. After he asked her why, She tearfully revealed her tragic backstory and even how she was gathering money to leave her familia by stealing from adventurers and even fearfully admitted to target Nox at the beginning.

"Nox-sama! I-I-I Have something to tell you!" She started.

"I want to tell you my story . . ." She continued in a low voice. "Is that alright?"

With a gentle tone, Nox encouraged her to continue as she told him the story of her life amidst her sobs.

Lili's parent were members of the Soma Familia, making her a member from birth but instead of caring for their daughter they used her and demanded she earned money for them until they died in the dungeon, leaving the little girl alone. Her solitude causing her supposed familia to bully her and further isolate her.

She tried to be an adventurer, but didn't have the talent and so elected to become a supporter to earn a living. This however led to her being constantly looked down upon by the adventurers she partied with filling her with hatred for all their ilk.

After a period of constant abuse, the girl decided to run away from the Soma Familia and become a normal citizen, finding shelter with an old couple that took care of her. However, she was found by members of her old familia who harassed the old couple and stole all their money thus increasing her already great hatred towards her own familia and god.

Fueled by her dark emotion, she started to cheat adventurers and steal their earning, thinking it was justified and in the end confessed to what she had planned for him.

"A-And at first, w-when I first m-met Nox-sama . . . I even thought of stealing from you despite all the care you've shown me . . ." And then started crying while saying she was a despicable person.

"I-I know I don't deserve it b-b-but . . . PLEASE DON'T ABANDON ME!" She shouted amidst her cries.

Although he already knew her story, hearing it from her mouth in a narration full of emotion still hit Nox hard, he admitted he had gotten quite attached to the little pallum since meeting her but also saw the situation for what it was

A chance to score some major points with the loli, Nox gently held her while saying it was alright and that he would help her move her loot to the hideout with his Item Box and even help her pay her debt to the Soma Familia, driving the final nail into the proverbial coffin, making Liliruca Arde fall madly in love and utterly devoted to him.

"Don't worry Lili . . . I know you regret wanting to do those things to me. And I would never abandon you . . . My cute Lili . . ." Nox gently whispered as he led her to his chest while kneeling on one knee in front of her.

In the end Lili could do nothing but to hug him while crying out loud and shouting "Nox-sama!" as she buried her face in his chest.

They returned to the surface and split up, both incredibly happy about today. As Nox prepared to freshen up and go to the the Hostess he crossed paths with Loki who asked about his day.

"So, did yer first dungeon divin' as a Level 2" feel?" She asked with expectation.

"Destroyed the Goliath and toured Rivira . . ." Nox casually responded.

"Right, Right! Sorry for expecting a normal response!" Loki replied patting his shoulder and continued walking as if she didn't hear anything shocking.

'Looks like Loki's immunity to my shocking deeds is improving! Might need to up my game . . .' Nox thought as he moved away as well but after he had a quick shower and changed clothes, he was met with another unexpected event. Ais found him and asked to accompany him to the dungeon tomorrow. Lili needed time to set up her move to the eighteenth floor so he accepted.

Nox was surprised by the sudden request but what he didn't yet realise was Ais' growing interest in him. His change after he gained his Archon skill left him feeling like a spirit, just as the girl's mother. It was no longer just about figuring out Nox's power and fast rate of growth, just being near him already provided a special kind of comfort to Ais and if she could pick something up from watching him fight, even better.

The next day, his routine started the same way except instead of training with Hephaestus and Tsubaki, he did so with Asfi and after he was done, instead of Lili, Nox was accompanied by Ais.

Each time Nox used magic Ais felt even better beside him sticking closer and closer but still not touching. Even Nox's ungodly display of power for his level which he though would be the focus of the girl's attention did nothing to distract her from her goal of closing their physical and emotional distance. Her relatively younger mental age and difficulty in expressing her emotions made the task quite difficult for her but Ais soldiered on.

Finally, by the time they reached the eighteenth floor safezone, Ais was literally sticking to Nox with a slight blush of embarrassment but zero intention of moving away.

"Uhm? Ais-san?" Nox turned to her. But she only showed a puzzled expression as if she didn't know what he wanted from her.

'Although it's very enjoyable . . . How do I get an explanation on why?'

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P.a.t.r.e.o.n is officially up!

The link is: https://www.p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/lusoba  without the extra dots of course.

You'll get to read up to FOUR week ahead, a full month, but I'll still post here.

There's also my other novel Kage of Kages, do check it out!

I would greatly appreciate any support since this is going to be my breadwinner.