Is It Wrong to Try to Tame Monsters in a Dungeon? (Written seriously)

(This chapter was uploaded on Saturday 17/August/2024 8:05 PM, timezone GMT+3)

('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the chapter's footnotes.

"..." small moment of silence.

"Talking"

[Different Language Dialogue] (What language it is: Accent if necessary)

"He-" Someone was interrupted.

'Inner Dialogue'

{Skills' names, chanting, spell keys and spells' names}

(PoV)

(Flashback, including the text)

Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

(Line Break)

(Tuesday, 18/2/1057) 

(Henryk's PoV) 

Today, Shira entered the room and started fussing about something. In my groggy, tired state, I barely registered what she said as I woke up. Once she woke me up properly by helping me wash my face, she told me some really good news. 

Lady Artemis has entered the village. And from what she said, I only have one day to convince her, today. And so, we went to where she awaited us posthaste. 

When we arrived at the centre of the village, by Grysia, we found her sitting down and cleaning her longsword off the residue from her last battle. I approached her but stood at a distance as not to disturb her. She took her time making sure the sword's blade was clean before beckoning me to get closer. 

I took the last steps between us before sitting on the ground in front of her. My legs were aching because I took big strides on the way here. 

'I need to train myself again, and soon. My stamina was much greater than this before the incident. My flexibility, as well, has diminished' 

As I sat down, the familia members she had with her were whispering among themselves. I didn't hear what they were saying clearly and didn't care to. 

"What did you want to say to me?" Lady Artemis asked me with a neutral tone. She didn't express the desire to reject me outright before knowing if I was confessing like the last poor sod. 

"I want to- No, I have to join a familia, and yours is my only option for a really long while to come" I said, fully expecting her to reject me without second thought. 'I mean, she has this 'no men allowed' rule in place' 

"Did they tell you that my familia is strictly women-only?" She asked me calmly without mocking me over it. 

"I knew of that. I need to protect the only family I have in this world. And for that, I need a falna" Her eyes loosened somewhat. She was about to say something when I continued talking. "I won't be considered a familia member, nor will I tell anyone about it. More than that, I will change familia once I reach Orario more than a year later, without asking for an update until then, not even once" I felt a pit form inside of me. 

"Please" Lowering my head was the one thing I'd kill rather than do. But here I was, pleading, with my head nearly touching the ground. 

"Ple-... ease..." Fey followed in my example. She probably didn't understand the meaning but wanted to imitate me. 

"Gasp!" I heard gasps and murmurs going between them. But, nevertheless, didn't raise my head. I waited for them to calm down. 

"I will ask you some things first. But before that, raise your head. I would rather talk to you than to talk over you" Lady Artemis requested that I raise my head so I did. I patted Fey's wing to let her know. 

Once my eyes went back to the goddess, I saw the fascination in her eyes. She was looking at me, but took a quick glance at Fey when she thought I wouldn't notice. 

"I am all ears" I sat down properly, on the grass. She was gesturing for me to sit here when I raised my head. 

"First, who is this family? Is it this eagle?" She asked. 

"She is. She is like a daughter to me, and I will do anything for her, no matter the cost" I said with firm determination and a deep sense of duty. 

"How do you aim to use my falna to help her? What do you expect from it?" She asked. 

"I wish to get a skill that will make Fey's life easier" I said, my voice filled with hope. 

"Phy? Ph- Ph- F- Fey? FEY!" Fey learned to spell her name at an inopportune time. 

"Fey, quiet, please" I told her an order and added 'please' to politely tell her to do that. She should learn to speak to others politely, or at least kindly, now that she started talking. 

"Papa! Head pat!-... Please?" Was that a question? I think it was. It was a question, indeed. 

"Good girl" I patted her head, feeling pleased. To see her grow, it's a blessing. 

"I see. Your words from before weren't some empty beliefs" Lady Artemis reminded me that we still need to go through some more question. 

"What will you do once you go to Orario? What is it you desire from its dungeon? From the city of adventurers? Is it the riches? Women? Or fame?" She asked. There was disgust in her voice and disdain clear on her face. 

'Maybe she hates those who're too greedy or those lusting after women? Going by her domains, it's probably more of the latter with some of the former' 

"My next priority, after Fey's well-being and happiness, would be challenging myself. I also want to explore the depths of the dungeon for myself, to see its wonders. Maybe, if fate allowed me to, I want to start a new life, starting here" I told her of my goals. 

"Your eyes tell me that you are hiding something. But, since you hid it, let me ask you this instead" I looked away in shame. She caught me with my hidden desire to make way for my parents' revival if that was possible. "Would you hurt others when given a falna?" Her eyes became sharp, very sharp. It was such as to cause me to fear for my life momentarily. 

"Not unless they started it. And no life shall be taken until they try to take Fey's or mine" I answered honestly. I may cripple them if they didn't deserve to die, though. 

"You failed to know something important. When you want to change familias, the new god will know who the previous one was. That invalidates your promise of secrecy. That means you need to join one of the few familias whose gods I trust to keep a secret of this magnitude, of which none are in the lower realm right now" She said with a small smile. It wasn't one that mocked me or was pleased with my misfortune, but one that told me to suggest an alternative or I won't get what I want. 

"What about I fulfill a requirement you give? Once I want to change familia, you can remove your falna from my back. I know that when a new one is applied, it takes over the parameters from the former one" I said firmly. 

"That is true. But that leaves you vulnerable on your way to Orario. If I found enough reason to let you, a man, join my familia, I would hate to purposefully put you in mortal danger with my own hands" She rejected my reasoning again. She looked at me with eyes that blamed me for 'accusing her' of being heartless, or so I felt about that look she gave me. 

"Is there really no way? Please, tell me if there was a way for me to get your falna. It is detrimental to keep my daughter well-fed, as my strength right now is lacking. All of my injuries are almost healed, but they were from a month and a half back, from fighting a pack of loup garou. I need the strength to keep Fey safe, and that requires my own safety" I said while my fist rested atop my heart. 

While looking at her, I saw her eyes looking over my shoulder for the briefest of moments. I looked back to see the mother wolf sneaking up on me. Once she saw that I noticed her, she snarled at the goddess for a fraction of a second as she and her cubs then got up to come cuddle with me. It was stuffy with all that fur around me. If there was something positive to come out of this, it was that lady Artemis was looking at me in a better light, just slightly. I, sadly, needed to push them off me to finish this conversation. 

"I will make an exception this one time, but only if you could hold this up" She stretched an over-sized arrow my way. When I saw it, it triggered a memory. 

(Flashback) 

(3rd person PoV) 

"Henryk! Come see this! Bell fell over his ass!" Norman laughed like the complete moron he was over something he was watching in his phone. 

"Is it funny when he falls often?" Henryk remarked and continued washing the dishes. "Not to mention, you watched this same film at least 3 times. This also means you saw him fall over for the 4 time just now. Grow up, manchild" 

Some time went by while Norman tried to crack jokes at the expense of the film's characters but has his attempts foiled by Henryk at every turn. Then came the end of the film, with Norman pointing out a glaring issue with one of its core ideas. 

"You see, Henryk, this spear, which is actually an over-sized arrow in disguise, is a problem. Its criteria, namely a person with a pure soul, could identify the wrong person. A person whose soul's pure now may become the worst enemy of the mortal races, more so than the black dragon" Norman frowned at this plot-hole. "Not to mention, it's just a pure soul, not the purest soul. Even you could probably qualify for it if you happen to cross over to that world!" Norman waived his hand in the air dismissively, making it clear he thought it was impossible to cross over to the world of a novel. 

The spent the rest of the night training, intensely. In fact, it was too intense, so much that Norman was afraid for his life. 

'I shouldn't have hinted at him having a filthy soul! Dammit!' Norman cried in grief for his lost comfort and his worn body as he swung down the wooden sword in his hand... for the 463rd time. 

... 

There remained a further 537 vertical slashes. 

(Flashback End) 

(3rd person PoV) 

Henryk smiled wistfully while looking at the arrow. His eyes were melancholic, reflecting his feelings. He did not see Norman for more than a month when he was keeping in contact with the guy almost daily. That made Artemis' thoughts run amok. She did not want to pry, but she genuinely wanted to know what made the air around him become like this. 

'I should try proving him wrong. I can later bug him with it later... if we ever met again...' Henryk, still smiling, held the arrow in his hands like one does a short spear. 

The arrow was still sitting in his hands silently, dim and lacking any glow to its shaft and arrowhead. Artemis sighed as she closed her eyes. Just as she wanted to take the arrow back, its shaft started shining dimly. 

The arrow's shaft did not have its runes glowing, but only their outlines. It was torn between choosing him or not. Ultimately, it decided to not choose him. Its light dimmed further, now mostly mute and unnoticeable. 

Artemis looked almost disappointed with this result. Her hopes had risen above a certain limit, something Rethusa noticed and knew the reason for. She sighed and prepared to console her goddess. 

And that was when the arrow finally took notice of Henryk's face. It saw relief. The arrow asked itself, "Why was he relieved?". In an attempt to startle him, it glowed again. It accomplished its goal of making him pale and say something. 

"No way... My soul couldn't have been pure..." He said in a voice so hushed and low in volume that only the arrow heard it. 

'The poor child. He believes that his soul isn't pure. Then, that is what tainted his soul, self-doubt. His soul is plenty pure' The arrow thought. 

If before, the runes were only outlined, now they were glowing so brightly they blinded Henryk for a fraction of a second, as they exploded with light so suddenly with his face close. 

'Found you' The arrow voice was sweet, affectionate, yet poised as it tried to tug at Henryk's heartstrings. Its voice bright and energetic, as if the owner of the voice finally found something they desired for an eternity. And it sounded like a higher pitch of Artemis' voice. 

"Excuse me? Found who?" Henryk asked Artemis, skepticism clear in his demeanour. He was seriously considering not getting her falna now. Such a radical change came so suddenly because he didn't want to be involved in the romantic life of a goddess. 'I know that tone! Anime voice actors for a protagonist's love interest talk in the same way those 2 words came out!' 

"You heard the arrow's voice?!" Artemis was shocked. She was going to accept him if the arrow shined, as that was a testament of the pureness of his soul. But for him to hear its voice? That meant he was the one. 'I must keep my cool in this situation. I am still uncertain about who he really is inside, or how he may change in the future' She recollected herself and sat down like before, with all the dignity that came with her status as a goddess back in display. 

"That voice wasn't yours?" 'Is it a detail I missed because I passed on the film?' Henryk regretted not paying attention when Norman bugged him over this side story more than once. 

"Lady Artemis, that arrow had a voice?" Finally, one of her familia members had the gut to interrupt her and ask. It was none other than Lante. She wanted to steer the conversation over to a completely different direction. 

"Yes, Lante. Although, one never hears it unless they were pure of soul" Artemis entertained her child. She knew what tendency this child has, and she was not falling for Lante's schemes. She returned her gaze back to Henryk. 

"Like I said a moment ago, I can't have you join another familia with my familia's insignia visible to them. And if I removed it and let you go there alone, I would feel irresponsible" Artemis let her words settle in then moved to her point. "After you join, you either remain an eternal level 1, or you have us escort you to the dungeon city, where the removal of my falna wouldn't endanger your life as much as it does by removing it here" 

"I accept those conditions. Thank you" Henryk let his emotions show on his face this time. He was incomparably happy. With this, even if he did not have the skill to help Fey avoid that unknown state caused by consuming magic stones, then he could protect her while preventing her from eating them at all. By destroying them, that is. 

And so, the first and last man to enter Artemis' familia was Henryk. He was taken to their camp. There, Artemis took Henryk, who was still carrying Fey as flying would tire her easily, and entered her tent together. It was the common way to give one of her familia members their falna or update an already existing one. Rethusa stood guard at the tent's flap, not out of distrust of her fellow familia members but to make Henryk feel welcomed. 

"Fey... tok?" Fey asked an unknown question while tilting her head so she could take a better look at Henryk's reaction. She liked the fond face he makes while looking at her talking. 

"Sorry, Fey. Forgot that I told you to remain quiet. You could talk now" Henryk sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. 

"It is fascinating, how an eagle could ever talk while understanding what she said" Artemis commented while picking up the small needle she uses for the procedure. She was cleaning it for good measure. 

"I'm proud of her" Henryk said as he took off his shirt. 

Artemis wanted to remain calm, but gasped in horror at the sight of his bare upper body. It was littered with scars wherever one looked. From small scratches to big gashes, they made his body look like it was stitched together from human chunks as the scars crossed each other. 

"Don't be so shocked. Being the goddess of the hunt, you should know better as to what dangers come with hunting wild animals and fighting monsters without a falna" Henryk dismissively said as he sat on a crate since there was no stool to sit on. 

"Why didn't you join any familia before attempting such a thing?" She rebuked Henryk for his senselessly reckless actions. 

"Where I'm from, no god or goddess came. There was simply no way to get one, a falna" Henryk took it calmly and explained why. 

"From now on, take care to avoid such injuries" Artemis said. She kept it short as she focused on something more important. 

Artemis pricked her fingertip and let small droplets of her blood flow on Henryk's back. 

When that happened, Henryk felt like something invaded his mind. He felt vulnerable in this state, as if any form of disruption could break his mind and cut his soul from his body. 

Nonetheless, he remained seated, his back ram-rod straight to allow Artemis to draw the falna freely and easily. 

After some of the most stressful minutes of Henryk's life, he was relieved when Artemis finally removed her finger from his back. Then, he felt a parchment touch his back. 

'Is this that kind of parchment? So, I can see what I got now?' Henryk anticipated at least something added in there, delusions fueled by the stereotypical isekai characters receiving a boost of some sort or immense luck. 

When Artemis was done with copying his status onto the parchment, he tried to grab it and have a look. He felt bothered when Artemis pulled her hand away from him. 

"Remember, this is to remain a secret. Never tell anyone of the contents of this paper" She handed it to him after she said that. She warned him. 

"I understand" Henryk calmed down and took a look at his status. 

(End of Chapter) 

Name: Henryk Williams 

Familia: Artemis Familia 

Level: 1 

STR: I0 

END: I0 

DEX: I0 

AGI: I0 

MAG: I0 

Magic: 

Incrementum Imperium (Growth Control): 

Magic used to direct a being's growth. 

Chant: 

{I ask thee, thou who oversees the fate of every living being, thee who directs the flow of things. Answer my prayer and grant my humble wish} 

Skills: 

Kefalés Tou Tyfóna (Heads of Typhoon): 

Forms a mental link with creatures of choice. 

Magic stones are required. 

(Line Break) 

Hello, dear readers 

Now, let's talk about Henryk's Diary. Do you like this style of time-skip? If so, I will use this for the 1-2 years of his journey from the village, going around different places before journeying to Orario. 

What about the way he joined the Artemis familia? Do you find fault in how I wrote it? I do think that I fumbled something, and I need another person's perspective to see it the next time I introduce someone in a similar way. 

For those who came from the other story, they already knew this was coming. So, what do you think about Fey talking? Does it make sense, since she didn't start talking fluently right from the start? 

Then, we have Henryk's falna. Originally, I wanted to make up many skills, with every one of them having many lines describing their conditions and effects. But this time, with the advice of both RikuKage and Kunichan, I saw to follow in the example of the original work and keep things short. Actually, from around one spell and 4-5 skills, I thought of what the essence of each is, and got them shrunk into one spell and one skill only, with minimal descriptions.

Thank you, RikuKage and Kunichan. 

So, how do you think of this? Can you guess what the skill does? The spell was still clear with its effects, but the skill wasn't. I already have the limitations and constraints, the benefits, in place. I just want to see your analytical skills at work.

Have a nice time, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you have the best of luck with your life.