Chapter 10: Energy Bar, Hestia's Shock! (Please Follow) (Patreon)

This feeling... If Rozz had to put it into words, it was like the muscle memory after simple training — the body instinctively remembered it completely, the kind you could never forget no matter what.

What was the reason? Honestly, he couldn't figure it out either.

But what he needed to focus on right now was how to get through his very first taste of combat smoothly, and keep this bunch of goblins from dragging him back to their cave to breed!

...

Rozz gripped the Adventurer's Adventurer's Shortsword backhand in his right hand, his left arm — fitted with a vambrace — raised in front of his chest.

Thanks to yesterday's intensive training under Takemikazuchi, the God of Martial Arts, facing a monster for the first time left him more curious than panicked, without the terror he'd imagined.

Facing the Goblin walking toward him, he lowered his stance, and while keeping his balance, lunged forward in a bow step, launching the first attack against the monster ahead.

Even though, now that he was an Adventurer, his physical condition still fell within the range of an ordinary person, Rozz still felt like the Goblin in front of him moved rather slowly. By the time he'd closed the distance, he raised his right hand and decisively swung his sword in a horizontal slash.

His target was the monster's fragile neck.

The moment this sharp weapon — a product of the Hephaestus Familia — touched the Goblin's skin, it sliced through as easily as a knife through tofu.

Along with a flash of the blade, the monster's head came off clean.

"Splat!"

The Goblin didn't even manage a cry of pain. The instant its head was severed, its stunted body turned to gray dust and scattered.

A small magic stone dropped to the ground with a crisp clink. And not only that — a mottled Goblin fang fell with it.

According to what Hestia had explained last night, these drops were the main harvest Adventurers gained from exploring the Dungeon, which could be exchanged for money at the Adventurer Guild.

"Why does it feel... even weaker than I imagined?"

...

Rozz looked at the Goblin off to his side, swinging a wooden club as it charged at him. He didn't hesitate, and engaged without a second thought.

As it turned out—unless this was some depraved, doujin-style version of a "Goblin nest," these low-tier monsters, even armed with weapons, seemed like they could be kicked to death without much trouble.

Hm. At the very least, the difficulty on the shallow floors wasn't as bad as he'd imagined.

"So today..."

"I'll just explore the first floor area for now, try to gather up as many drops as I can, and stop by the Adventurer Guild for some information on the way back to Orario this evening."

Once he'd settled on his exploration plan, Rozz didn't linger in his current spot.

Of course, he didn't let his guard down just because the goblins were like stray dogs by the roadside — one moment of carelessness, and he really could end up finished off here.

And if that happened, there might not even be a Remake to start over!

The exploration that followed, carried out with Rozz's cautious attitude, went off without a hitch — the goblins he ran into could basically all be dispatched quickly.

But, through the continuous fighting, he kept feeling like things weren't as simple as they seemed.

Because whenever he fought the Dungeon's monsters... he felt like he had endless Stamina, exactly like during yesterday's training in Orario.

The same thing happening twice was hard to chalk up to coincidence.

"Why do I feel like..."

"this body might have something off about it?"

If... if he had to describe it in terms of a Galgame, it would basically be having a Stamina bar that didn't leave him feeling tired until it bottomed out.

But from a biological standpoint, this thing definitely didn't follow the rules.

Pretty great, though.

Thinking that this might just be some not-particularly-impressive cheat ability that came bundled with his transmigration, Rozz felt his mood lift.

At least he wasn't left drawing his sword and staring blankly around, lost with nowhere to turn.

"Let's keep exploring..."

—

[Hephaestus's Weapon Shop]

The price for borrowing the weapon and gear had already been made very clear last night — she'd have to come work as a shop clerk at the weapon shop every single day.

If she worked hard enough, Rozz could have an easier time of it.

Hestia suddenly felt like the weight on her shoulders was actually pretty heavy — but it was exactly this sense of responsibility that filled her with motivation.

Still, nervousness was unavoidable, of course.

A rookie Adventurer, after all. The very first member of her own Familia, after just one day of basic combat training yesterday, was heading out to explore the Dungeon alone today.

"It should..."

"It should go fine, right?"

Sitting at the counter, the girl goddess propped her cheeks up with both hands, gazing at the Adventurers passing by outside the window, the worry in her eyes impossible to hide.

So much so that when it came to her shift, Hestia found herself somewhat distracted — and it wasn't some excuse she'd cooked up to slack off, either. She was simply, purely, preoccupied with thoughts of Rozz.

By the time evening drew close, the once-quiet Adventurer Street gradually grew bustling. When she lifted her head, her eyes held a look of anxious, straining anticipation.

"Forget it..."

"Why don't you call it a day. I doubt you've got the mind to stay here anyway," said Hephaestus, who'd already noticed exactly what was going on.

She shook her head, helpless.

Honestly, she could understand how Hestia felt well enough — after all, Hestia treated the members of her Familia like children of her own family.

"Really?"

"Heh heh."

The red-haired goddess delivered her warning with a smile that didn't reach her eyes: "If you keep this up for the next few days, I'm docking your pay."

...

Except, the moment Hephaestus finished speaking — without even waiting for a reply — she watched the woman dash out of the weapon shop in her slippers.

Hm... If she really had to put it into words, an image rose unbidden in her mind: this woman looked exactly like one of those legendary "waiting-for-husband" stones, forever watching the horizon for her "husband's" safe return.

"No hope for her."

...

After leaving Hephaestus's weapon shop, Hestia's goal was crystal clear: head to Central Park and wait for Rozz to come back.

As evening fell, a great number of Adventurers were leaving the Dungeon. Held back by her height, the girl goddess could only rise on her tiptoes, craning her neck left and right.

Finally, when Hestia spotted Rozz's familiar figure in the distance ahead — seeing that he was all in one piece, just with tired-looking eyes—the stone weighing on her heart finally settled.

Thinking that close physical contact could help ease Rozz's fatigue, she paid no mind to the stares from the Adventurers around them.

And so, the beautiful loli girl once again went in for a flying tackle.

"You're back!"

Hestia threw both arms around Rozz's neck, tilting her head up with an especially radiant smile: "Did the exploration go well today?"

"Of course it went well."

"Given the safety concerns, I didn't rush off to explore other floors — I mainly focused on getting familiar with the Dungeon's environment and finding a good pace for exploring."

"Good!"

After all, no matter how you looked at it, he was the sole precious sprout of her Familia.

Compared to an aggressive exploration style, Hestia much preferred that Rozz prioritize his own safety down in the Dungeon.

There was no crime in playing it safe.

But just as the girl tilted her head back and her gaze landed on the translucent "Hero Cloud-Raising Plan" panel floating above his head, she could no longer sit still.

...

[Character: Rozz]

[Level: Lv1]

[Mood: 55↑100 (Calm)]

[Stamina: 3↓100 (Exhausted)]

[Health: 98/100 (Excellent)]

[Through today's Dungeon exploration, Rozz has gained a great deal — his stats and his own latent potential have both risen slightly.]

...

"?!"

"There really is a mastermind behind this!"