Danmachi: Goliath

The library, being one of the biggest buildings in the city, rivaling the guild building, stood three stories tall. It was honestly impressive, with an appearance similar to those old roman buildings with thick towering pillars in the front of the building holding off the ceiling.

[Great Orario Library] that was the name engraved in the front.

'Great, huh.' I doubt they have 'great' info in there. Most of the materials are probably about dungeons and monsters, but that's what I need, I guess. 

From what my 'advisor' told me, this library is owned and maintained by the Seshat Familia and so are all the other smaller libraries around the city. This Familia gathers knowledge from other Familia and then arranges them into books using a printing press. 

Rachel explained that though they aren't that strong and their numbers are nowhere when compared to the massive Demeter, Ishtar, or Ganesha Familia, this familiar was one of the oldest in the city. She is said to be one of the first few gods that descended after Ouranos and one of the few that helped him set up the city.

'It's impressive how she hasn't been sent back to Heaven by one of the evil gods.' Rachel had casually stated while eating her grass. 'Probably because she hasn't been seen for the past three hundred years.'

She hides, that's the answer.

She keeps her empire of 'knowledge' running from the 'shadows' like a smart little bitch. I mean, it makes sense when your strongest member is a level 3 and a level 3 in the Loki Familia are considered low-ranking members.

'Oh, look, my map actually changed to show the inside of the library.' Cool, but I wonder if it would be the same for the dungeon. I hope it does. Running around aimlessly in the dungeon and getting ambushed wouldn't be good.

'Well, let's get on with reading.' I quickly gathered the books my lazy advisor had written for me after asking the workers that replied with trembling legs. Placing them on the table in the empty third floor, I sat down.

'Three, twenty-four.' I still have about eleven hours and thirty-six minutes before a new day starts. I should be able to complete my missions of defeating an elite-type monster after this.

Oh, by the way. From my 'Enhance one weapon to 6' mission, I got ten premium summoning tickets but decided to save it till I finish all my missions and just do multiple draws for a 'higher chance' of getting better rewards.

As for my money spender, I was told to spend fifteen thousand valis but was rewarded thirty thousand. Though I ended up spending fifty thousand, it is such a generous game. If I had spent the required amount, it would have been a profit.

Haah. That's what this game gets from sending me into the first floor automatically. I mean, why? Right outside the city would have been a much better choice. Well, whatever. I now have eighty-five thousand valis due to the five-thousand valis I had to pay to enter this library.

Greedy fucks.

Whatever, let's read like the scholar I am. Flipping open the books, I skipped the introduction and flipped to the page talking about goblins. 

Ding! [Dungeon Monster Archive has been updated...]

Hmm? A notification? That's a first. 'A new function.' 

I mentally clicked the book icon that appeared in the menu, and it took me to a page filled with blacked out profile pictures arranged in rows of 5 and an endless column. 'At least there is a search bar.'

Clicking on the only lit up icon of a goblin, a spinning hologram of a goblin appeared with two new screens. One displayed its description.

[A green and plump humanoid monster with large eyes that is considered to be the weakest monster in the dungeon.]

I turned to the second screen that showed their stats.

_____________________

Floor Spawned: 1 (Selectable)

Rank: 1

Level: 12 ~ 50

Danger Level: Negatively Low

Potential of Xenofication: Extremely Low

Strength: I 5 ~ I 15

Endurance: I 1 ~ I 10

Dexterity: I 5 ~ I 15

Agility: I 1 ~ I 10

Magic: I 0 

Estimated Magic Stone Value: ~40

_____________________

I don't know what Xenofication, but I guess it's some kind of evolution. 'Actually...' A memory came to me. 'Like that kobold?' So, I guess gaining 'intelligence' turns a monster into this Xeno thinging?

Well, more exp for me. Fuck intelligent monsters. How dare they try to mimic us humans!? The fuck do they think they are?

Ok, let's continue. 

I opened the floor spawned menu and clicked on the lowest floor goblins spawn on, floor nine, and the appearance of the goblin grew slightly taller and less chubby;

_____________________

Floor Spawned: 9 (Selectable)

Rank: 1

Level: 580 ~ 760

Danger Level: Extremely Low

Potential of Xenofication: Extremely Low

Park Danger Level (50 members): Low

Strength: H 150 ~ H 195

Endurance: H 140 ~ H 180

Dexterity: H 150 ~ G 205

Agility: H 140 ~ H 180

Magic: I 0 

Skill: 

Pack Mentality: +1 level to all stats depending on how many other goblins are around, up to 50 levels.

Estimated Magic Stone Value: ~200

_____________________

The difference between floor one and floor nine goblins was instantly notable. One floor nine would take on a group of more than 30 floor 1 goblins, and their danger level also changed. 'Still low even with fifty jumping me, but I better be careful.'

One good hit to the back of my head with a club multiple times, and I'm cooked.

I mistakenly clicked the goblin while trying to 'X' out the screen—

*GAARK!*

I jumped out of my chair due to the sudden shout and lunge of the holographic goblin. '...' I ignored all the eyes that turned to me and returned to my seat. 'Bitch ass game could have warned me.'

Clicking on it, the goblin charged forward to an unseen target and punched. Another clicked and it kicked. Another, and it lounged forward. Another, and it spawned a club, jumping up and smashing it down on the target's head. Another and it screamed, and three goblins appeared out of nowhere, and they charged at the target attacking it.

It took me a few clicks to notice, but I guess these are their most 'common' attack animations. 

It can even summon other goblins with a scream. What kind of magic is that?

Well, 'Since the game only requires me to see the page of the monster, then...'

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!...

I just started flipping through the pages, glancing at them and then moving on. I finished the entire book in less than twenty minutes, but I noticed that barely any monsters apart from the one in the higher floor lit up. Even some in the early floor didn't brighten up, though they now had an image, I couldn't click on it.

One was Jack Bird, War Shadow, and the Infant Dragon. 'Is it because there isn't enough information about them in this book?' To test this, I opened another book and began the same process, and like I had expected. More of the darkened monsters lit up. 'I guess it is based on the information available for each book.'

One hour later, "Welp," I finished all the books I was told to read and stood up, and that's when I noticed two girls staring at me. One was a brown haired elf with glasses and the other one was a pink haired human and once they noticed my eyes, they quickly looked back to their book, sweat covering their foreheads.

A quick map usage and I found their government.

[Eina Tulle, 14, Rank 0]

[Misha Flott, 14, Rank 0]

'I guess they are studying to become an advisor.' How did I know? Will, the book the pink haired girl was using to cover her face was titled: Guild Advisor Review Questions. 'What a pussy job. They should go join Ishtar and become a prostitute. I'm sure someone would pay them more money monthly than they will get from the guild.'

That's just me, though. I would NEVER pay a prostitute to fuck me. Too many diseases out there. Rather keep my virginity than to get crabs or 'Magical Rabies' or whatever they have in this world.

But I applaud them. Studying at 4 in the morning is the grinding mindset.

Picking up the book, I walked away to return the books to the shelves, noticing the pink haired girl known as Misha was following me. '...'

Am I rizzing up a younglin?

Hohoho, I guess there are girls out there that like this one. She is fourteen, but I can just preorder—

The girl took the book I had returned to the bookshelf and ran back. '...'

Ah, damn. 

She wanted the book, not me.

... I should have picked high-elf and spirit.

I am sure I would have gotten laid by now.

'Whatever.' This character I picked is good. A balance between physical and magic. 'Though I haven't unlocked my gravity magic yet.' Which I assume I will get at rank 1.

Let's just go to the dungeon and do some grinding—

Ding! [World Map has been updated...]

'Oh?' I just glanced at the map of the world and it was updated? Calling out the map, like before, it zoomed way out and the entire continent was lit up. However, unlike the Orario map, this world map only shows major locations and their names and I couldn't see anyone on the map except my orange dot on top of Orario.

'Hmm...' This gives me an idea.

Walking to the male human librarian, he lazily looked up from his book titled: [Can Dungeon Monsters sexually reproduce?]

He didn't even try to hide the title.

"Can I see the map of the dungeons?" I asked him. 

"How much do you have?" He answered my question with another one, but I kind of expected they wouldn't be cheap.

"How much?"

"A hundred thousand Valis for floor one to nine." He replied, and I nodded. Not that expensive, but as if hearing my thought, he elaborated, "Each floor's map cost that amount."

'Greedy fucks.'

"It is cheaper to buy it from the library," He looked down to his book, "However your guild advisor should be able to give you one to look at briefly, but you can't take it out of the guild room."

"If it's possible, can I see it here?" I wanted to just head straight to the dungeon with no detour, so updating the map here would be for the best. 

"No," He waved, "Pay up if you want to even glance at it."

"How much to look at it?" 

"Fifteen-thousand per map for only ten seconds." He did not look up from his book.

For five maps, I will spend seventy-five, leaving me with only ten thousand. Reaching into my pouch, I placed one black gold and five gold coins. "Let me see floor two." I just wanted to first confirm if this would update the dungeon floor's map.

He sighed, not sounding like he wanted to move from his seat. Placing his book upside down on the desk, he stood up and dragged his feet to the back. He returned around three minutes later, bringing me a long folded map.

Walking around the counter, he dragged himself to a large empty table and then placed it on the table. Unrolling the map, he clipped the edges and said, "Your ten seconds starts now."

I glanced at it and then;

Ding! [Dungeon Floor 2 Map has been updated incompletely...]

'Oh?' I called up my map, switching from the library map to the dungeon map and then clicking on floor 2. It was a complete map with a label that showed the way entrance to floor 3 and those that led to floor 1, but unlike floor 1, it didn't have any monster or adventures indicator.

I noticed a blinking exclamation mark in the top right corner of the map and focused on it.

[Mission to Unlock Floor 2 complete Maps]

Explore the floor for 2 hours Kill 200 monsters Kill 20 elite monsters Successfully spend 2 hours in a row on floor 2 without being spotted by an adventurer.

[]

Ok, three of them is easy enough. 'Not be spotted for three hours.' I guess I have to keep my senses up to get that.' 

I returned to the librarian and paid to see the map for floor three through six. The missions are all similar, the numbers just increased. For example, I need to kill 600 monsters, 60 elite, and spend 6 hours on floor 6 without being seen to unlock its full map.

That just means I have to spend 20 hours in a row in the dungeon without being seen while killing 2000 monsters at least—200 elite monsters are within those 2000. 

Simple enough.

As for the money spent, I don't mind. All the banners give me Valis through summoning. Though it's less common than the upgrade materials for weapons and armor in their banner, it's still possible to draw a hundred thousand Valis. And from the premium item banner?

I can draw from five hundred thousand valis to one billion valis.

'Besides,' I could just sell the magic stones I get from the monsters. Like a real adventure. 

Walking out of the library, I decided to stop at two spots first, unlike my previous plan. One is to buy a sack. Yes, I can put the stones in my inventory, but I need a bag to sell them. 

No bringing out things from inventory in public is the number one rule, after all.

The second spot is to buy some healing potions just in case. You can never be too sure.

Monsters aren't the only danger in the dungeon. 

Buying five potions for 2500 valis, I then bought a large heavy-duty sack for 1427 valis, leaving me with 6073 valis. With that, I entered the dungeon, descending to the second floor. It wasn't much different than the first floor, just larger based on the map. 

Walking to an area with no present adventure, I took a deep breath. "Ok." Closing my eyes, I sent the sack into my inventory—carried it around, so people wouldn't ask 'where did you hide that massive sack' if I left it filled with stones.

Opening my eyes, I transformed into work mood. "Time to lock in."

~~~~~~~~~~Author's Note:~~~~~~~~~~~~

I went back to chapter six and removed the requirement to Reach Rank 0 Level 3000 or Rank 1 to unlock. It made no sense, and it would have slowed the story greatly.