Danmachi: Scavenger

The twelve-hour dungeon shift quickly came to an end, and Rex left the dungeon soon after using Heptathlos once more. He had learned a lot of the two new abilities, though the most impressive was Berakh HaKele whose weapon energy can be released in many forms. 

A slash, a pure blue beam, a blast, or even a shockwave if released from a hammer head. It had versatility, but you couldn't release a bit of magic at a time to send multiple energy blades forward. You had to release all the stored in one attack which was a shame.

Not only that, the mind drain was indeed madness. Using it on a third class weapon drained almost 99% of his current mind, meaning he might not even be able to use it on a second class weapon by the time he becomes a peak level 3. 

However, the effect of the buffed 3rd class weapon was worth the mind drain, because using Berakh HaKele on them also seemed to mildly buff his stats depending on the weapon. For example, his longsword buffed his strength and dexterity while his dual daggers buffed his agility and dexterity. It wasn't too big, but it was notable. 

This made him wonder what kind of buff a first class weapon will give him, especially those that cost hundreds of million to make. Like the ones used by the top first-class adventures of the city. Who knows, those weapons might even gain extra magical abilities or some shit.

'Haah.' He will need more money in the future. A lot more if he wanted to keep using his magic at the top potential. 'This really is a P2W magic.'

Rex arrived at the Guild around five in the afternoon to check in his drops, magic stones from Level 1 monsters, and deposit his 13-million-valis check. The moment he stepped inside, his eyes landed on Rose, who was helping a rabbit girl—a familiar face Rex had seen multiple times, clearly in love with the red-haired werewolf.

Seeing her busy, Rex decided to use this chance to head to another receptionist and avoid an awkward encounter with her. But before he could, the rabbit girl left, and his eyes met Rose's.

'Well, I can't avoid her now.' He braced himself for the awkwardness and walked over to her booth. 

Rose's expression was as stoic as ever as she greated. "Good afternoon," she said, her tone flat. "What can I do for you today?"

'Ok, things are normal.' Rex nodded internally as he casually replied. "I want to sell some drops and cash in a check."

As always, Rose nodded and stepped out from behind her booth, gesturing for him to follow. Rex trailed behind her, mentally chanting, 'Yep, nothing happened yesterday~ Yesterday was just a dream~'

Reaching one of the drops assessment rooms, Rose held a door open for him, and Rex stepped into the room. She closed the door behind them, and Rex began unloading his drops from his bag onto the table.

'See?' he thought, trying to reassure himself. 'She's saying nothing about yesterday, so it was just a dream—'

"I didn't realize I was interesting enough to have a stalker," Rose said suddenly, her voice as calm as if she were commenting on the weather.

'OH MY GOD!' Rex almost clawed his face in frustration.

"Haha~" He laughed awkwardly. "I mean, you're beautiful. What's there not to stalk~" He said it jokingly, hoping she will catch the humor.

"I'm sure a beautiful woman like you has had a lot of stalkers~" He gave her a forced smile at her, his movements speeding up as he hurriedly unloaded the rest of his items.

"No, I don't think I have," she said, shaking her head with her eyes on his. "You're the first."

"Haha~" Rex laughed again. "So I'm your first? Hooray~"

'What the fuck am I saying?!' he screamed internally, deciding to pivot the conversation. "So, uh, what are you doing after work?"

"So you can stalk me?" Rose deadpanned, her tone so dry it could've started a drought.

At this, Rex nearly dropped a bundle of Minotaur Horns on the ground. "Alright!" he clapped his hands after placing down the last bundle of Minotaur Horns. "Those are all the things." They weren't—he still had a few items left in his bag, but he wasn't sticking around to unpack them. "And I also have cash to check in, so if you can just…"

He started reaching into his pouch, but Rose raised a hand, cutting him off. "Checks will be handled separately." She said as she pulled open the door. "You can wait in one of the private rooms with the door open, and I'll meet you after the appraisal."

Rex nodded and practically bolted out of the room. He closed the door behind him and exhaled deeply. "Haah~" He walked away, muttering to himself. "At least she knows it's a joke."

Her casual tone made him believe she wasn't taking it seriously. Besides, as a werewolf, her sharp nose would've alerted her if he'd actually been stalking her. That thought put him at ease.

'Rose is a chill girl,' he decided, seeing potential for a good friendship in the future. 'If I don't fuck up again.'

Rex entered one of the private rooms—the same one where he'd registered as a Level 2 adventurer—and took a seat across from the window. Late afternoon sunlight streamed in, illuminating half the table while the window bars cast long shadows across the wooden desk. He sat with the door open, idly watching people pass by. A few glanced curiously inside, and one dog girl even met his eyes, blushing before scurrying away.

'Shit, I knew I'm a handsome sonofabitch,' Rex thought, his ego inflating. 'If I wanted, I could build a harem anytime. I don't even need personality—just be a cardboard cutout: handsome, strong, and rich. I'd have a massive harem of girls.'

But he wasn't really into that kind of thing. Harem wasn't really his thing. In his fantasies, he sees himself with a single wife, and maybe two children—a boy and a girl—and they own a flower shop in a sea-side town.

'Maybe after I kill One Eyes Black Dragon, I'll try to look for a wife.' He thought, folding his arm. 'She has to be a first class adventure though.' He would most likely be a level 10 by then meaning he would live a very long life. He wouldn't marry a low level woman and have her die hundreds of years before him. 

'Ahh, I shouldn't think about that now.' He shook his head. 'Let's focus on the present.'

Rose returned about ten minutes later, placing a pouch on the table. "Your total came out to be 47,808 valis," she said, setting a slip of paper beside the pouch that detailed the cost of each drop. "You said you wanted to deposit a check?"

'I could've earned over fifty thousand in a day if I hadn't absorbed any magic stones,' Rex thought as he reached into his pouch. "Yes, this is it." he said, handing it to Rose.

She took it, glancing down at the amount. Her eyes widened notably, her golden iris shrinking as she glanced at Rex, then back at the check. "I will just have to verify its authenticity," Rose said, the tone of her voice fluctuating, before she turned toward the door. "Give me fifteen minutes."

"Right." Rex nodded and with that, she left, closing the door behind her.

Having nothing to do, Rex transferred the valis from his drops into his pouch. Then leaned back and closed his eyes, resting for about twenty minutes. By the time Rose returned, he'd been sitting there for half an hour.

"The check's credibility has been confirmed," she said, closing the door behind her. "Your winnings are 12,552,360 valis. However, gambling winnings are subject to a 15% withholding tax for amounts above a million and 22% for winnings over ten million. After taxes, your net winnings are—"

"Run that by me again," Rex cut in, looking confused. "You said how much tax?" He asked, sitting up as if it would help him hear clearly.

"A twenty-two percent tax on your winnings," Rose repeated.

His eyes widened and then a sigh followed. 'Greedy bastards,' he thought. 'Next time I should split my winnings into multiple smaller checks so the tax will be less.' He decided as he asked. "So, what do I take home?"

"Your net winnings are 10,640,840 valis," Rose said, placing three pouches filled with 10,000-valis coins on the table. "The pouches are complimentary due to the size of your transaction."

Rex nodded, standing up and tossing the pouches into his bag. He took out three coins and placed them on the table. "Thirty thousand valis," he said as he wore his bag. "That's your tip. I hope you have a wonderful day, Rose."

He flashed her a smile and quickly walked past her, and just as he was about to open the door, he turned to the woman staring at him, his smile still on his face. "And I am not a stalker. That was a joke." He flashed a beautiful smile with his teeth and stuck up his thumbs like a fool. 

"I am a civilized man so I will never stalk anyone." He knew she knew it was a joke but he just wanted to make it clear. 

"That's what a stalker will say." Rose countered without missing a beat. "Do you still want to know what I am doing after work—"

"Nope, I don't need to know." He said as he twisted the doorknob.

"Of course." Rose nodded, with a slight smile at the corner of her lips. "I guess you will already know."

'...' Rex just left the room and closed the door behind him. 

Once outside the Guild, Rex decided to stock up on potions before heading home. Tomorrow, he'd be heading into the Dungeon early, and he had run out of Mind potions today due to the continuous use of Berakh HaKele. Besides, he hadn't seen Naaza in almost a week. 

'They must be in need of my money right now,' he thought. '... And my debt is long overdue.' Three days, in fact. 'I should probably stop letting that girl put me in debt.' 

It's not like he was going to suddenly stop going there. Their things are cheap while having the same quality as Dian Cecht or Panacea Familia. Who in their right mind will return to those other two familia?

'...Well, I think I will soon have to buy from other places.' With how much mind potions he will be running through, he doubts the Miach Familia will be able to keep up in the future. 'We shall see.'

Rex arrived at the Blue Pharmacy, the Miach Familia home, after a few minutes of walking. He knocked on the door, and after a brief pause, a soft male voice called from inside:

"Come in."

'Miach?' Rex thought as he pulled open the door and stepped inside.

Behind the counter stood a tall, lithe man, slightly shorter than Rex at 6'2". His aquamarine hair cascaded down to his knees, longer than most women's, and his gray, rough and worn robe seemed to add to his charm.

'If I was gay…' Rex didn't finish the thought as he gave a small bow. "Good afternoon…" He trailed off, pretending not to know the man's name, though he already saw it with scavenger.

"Miach," the god introduced himself with a charming smile.

"Good afternoon, Lord Miach," Rex greeted, closing the door behind him and making his way to the counter. "I'm Rex."

"Great to finally meet you, Rex," Miach said, his smile widening. "I've heard a lot about you from Naaza. And you also saved the sole member of my good friend's Familia." He reached under the counter and pulled out a high-grade potion worth 50,000 valis. "Why don't you take this? As thanks for what you did in the Dungeon."

'Awww~' Rex smiled as he accepted the potion with both hands. "Thank you." He wasn't about to decline a god's kindness. 

"I should be the one thanking you," Miach said, waving a hand dismissively while the other reached under the counter again. "I don't know what I would've done if Bell and his group had died down there." 

He pulled out five normal potions this time. "Why don't you take these as well?"

'Alright!' Rex took them, giving another small bow. "I appreciate your kindness."

"It's nothing, Rex," Miach said with a warm smile. "You've done a lot for my Familia. I hate to admit it, but your spending has given us some form of luxury." He chuckled slightly, and Rex noticed his arm moving under the counter again.

'That's enough, cuh!' Rex almost shouted internally.

"How about you take these too?" Miach brought out five more normal potions, handing them to Rex like he was giving candies to kids.

"Haha~," Rex laughed, accepting them. This time, instead of thanking him, he got straight to the point. "Can you tell me how many mind potions you have in stock right now?"

"Just give me a second," Miach said, nodding as he squatted to count the potions under the counter before heading to the back. He returned a few moments later with the numbers. "We currently have twelve mind potions, one high mind potion, and a dual potion."

"Alright," Rex said, dropping his bag onto the ground. "I'll be buying all of them." He pulled out one of the pouches he'd gotten from the Guild from his bag.

"Ah?" Miach blinked, as if he hadn't heard correctly.

"I want to buy the thirteen mind potions and the dual potion," Rex repeated with a small smile. "How much will that be?"

"Eh…" Miach was still a bit taken aback, but quickly did the math in his head. "Three hundred sixteen thousand, seven hundred valis."

'That's a lot,' Rex thought, his eyes narrowing. 'If I remember, the high mind potion goes for two hundred thousand, so I guess that makes sense.' And he needed them all. He might even need more, but he could scavenge additional potions from dead bodies tomorrow. 

"I'll take them all," he said, arranging the 10,000-valis coins on the counter.

"I…I'll get them for you," Miach said, quickly placing all the mind potions from under the counter on top. He went to the back to retrieve the high mind potion and a few more items, then returned to open a suitcase under the counter, pulling out a single dual potion.

By then, Rex had arranged thirty-two 10,000-valis coins on the counter. "Thank you—" He reached to start grabbing the potions but was stopped by the blue-haired god's hand.

"How about I give you a fifteen percent discount for such a large purchase?" Miach asked with a smile, his blue eyes meeting Rex's red. "So that will be two hundred sixty-nine thousand, one hundred ninety-five valis." He pushed five coins back toward Rex.

"Thanks," Rex pushed the five coins back. "But I owe your Familia about thirty thousand, so that should cover it plus the interest,"

With that, he quickly started packing the potions into his pouch. As he did, a high health potion suddenly landed next to the mind potions he was about to pick up on the counter. Rex stared at it, then looked up at the smiling Miach.

"Take that," the god said. "As thanks for this."

Rex noded as he continued packing the potions. "Well then," he waved, turning toward the door. "Have a good day. And tell Naaza I said hi."

Miach waved back, his smile unwavering, as Rex left and closed the door behind him. As Miach was about to pack up the money on the counter, he noticed something. "—!"

There were now thirty-eight 10,000-valis coins on the table. At some point, while Rex was packing the remaining potions into his pouch, he had added six more coins without the god noticing. Miach snatched seven of the coins and hurried around the counter, rushing out of the shop to return them. But after looking both ways down the backstreet alley, Rex was already gone.

'What a kind god,' Rex thought now many blocks away, as he placed his pouch into his bag. 'I like him.'

It didn't take long for Rex to return home. After exchanging a few words with some Familia members, he finally climbed up to the third floor of the main mansion and headed to his room. There, he found the three little musketeers waiting in front of his door.

"Why are you guys here?" Rex asked as he approached.

"Rex!" Kaede shouted, rushing to stop in front of him. "Where the hell ya been?" she demanded, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"We've been looking for you for the past few days," Momiji added, walking over to join Kaede, a slight frown on her face. "It's not good to suddenly disappear without saying anything."

"You're right, Momiji." Rex nodded. "I sincerely apologize." He said with Momiji smiling.

"Apologies accepted." She said.

"Hi, Coco." Rex waved at the small pallum.

"Hi, Rex," Coco replied with a bright smile, waving back.

"Me!" Kaede glared, the fur in her ears bristling as she pointed at her face with both index fingers. "Don't ya see me?"

"Hi, Kiki," Rex said, patting the rabbit's shoulder. "Hi, Momo."

The fox girl smiled and returned the greeting, while Kaede huffed. "Ya still ain't answered my question—where ya been?" she said, following Rex as he walked to his door.

"Stuff happened," Rex replied vaguely, inserting his key into the lock. "Have you guys eaten dinner?" he asked, pushing the door open and stepping inside, the three girls trailing behind him.

"No," Momiji said. "We were actually going to go out to eat and came to invite you."

"Alright, I'll tell you over dinner," Rex said, setting his bag down in its designated corner. "I'll take a quick shower, and then we can go."

"Didn't ya shower in Babel?" Kaede asked, tilting her head. "Why ya need another scrub?"

Babel had showers on the first floor for adventurers leaving the Dungeon covered in blood or dirt. For 150 valis, they could clean themselves before heading home. Rex had already used it after his shift, but—

"I just like showering at home," he replied, starting to remove his gauntlets.

"Ya just like Momiji," Kaede said, her voice carrying from across the room. Rex turned to see her sprawled out on his bed, her legs handing out the conner with her shoes.

"Stay away from the pillow," he warned.

"Ya don't like others usin' yer pillow?" Kaede sat up, glancing between Rex and Momiji, who was now sitting on the chair beside the desk. "Ya sure act just like Momiji." she repeated.

"Haha…" The fox girl chuckled, discreetly eyeing the items on the table.

Rex quickly removed the rest of his armor, grabbed his bath supplies and a change of clothes, and headed for the door. "I'll be back," he said. "Don't mess anything up." His eyes landed on Coco, who was sitting at the foot of his bed. "Keep an eye on them, Coco."

The pallum nodded, and Rex left the room, closing the door behind him.

The shower was quick—he'd already cleaned up at Babel—and he changed into a simple gray tunic and black pants held up by his utility belt. Slipping on his bath slippers, he returned to his room and opened the door to…

Chaos.

Kaede and Coco were wrestling over his halberd, trying to pull the halberd off eachother's hand, while Momiji was busy counting the all the Valis he'd left on the table. His money was spread across the floor, the coins stacked neatly in small piles according to their denominations. It was clear they hadn't listened to a word he'd said earlier.

"…" The trio froze, staring at him in silence. Then, suddenly, Coco rocked Kaede right in the nose, sending the rabbit girl flying back onto his bed.

"Ugh..." She groaned as she held her nose, not broken but it pained her. "Why'd ya do that?!" Kaede shouted, scrambling to her feet—still wearing her shoes—on his bed.

"You didn't listen…" Coco mumbled, placing the halberd—which was nearly twice her size—back next to his adventuring bag.

"Ya hit like a bull!" she yelled, turning to Rex and pointing at Coco. "Rex, she just clocked me!"

But the chienthrope remained silent, his gaze fixed on something else. The three girls followed his eyes to Kaede, who was still standing on his bed—her shoes planted firmly on his pillow.

A long silence followed.

Then, slowly, Kaede stepped down from the bed. "Hehe!~We should go out for dinner, right?" she said, her voice unnaturally cheerful with her dialect dropped.

"Nuh-uh," Rex said, stepping into the room with his shower supplies in one hand and his other hand pulling his belt from his waist. "Seems like I have to discipline you girls."

He closed the door behind him.

[Author's Note: Whole chapter was character interaction because I felt like too much dungeon will get stale. 

Also, question: Do you think the MC is 'ruthless' enough to buy slaves spirits and kill them for their magic? As the creator, I feel like he isn't but I'm not sure. 

Anyway, thanks for reading and have a wonderful dayo(*￣▽￣*)ブ]