Chapter 9 - The Strongest Familia in Orario. (Patreon)

The three War Shadows had appeared so suddenly that Kael genuinely had no idea what to do. They were faster than him, so his only way to escape was to use his Teleportation ability.

The three monsters, having noticed Kael's presence, charged toward him.

Kael held his breath and ran straight at the monsters. As soon as he got close, he activated his Teleportation ability and passed right through them. He didn't stop running after teleporting.

He turned a corner and then teleported again, reappearing several meters ahead.

Kael looked back, and there it was: a completely black creature with long arms. The sight was terrifying to him. It was like something out of a horror movie. Kael hated the feeling of being chased.

He kept running toward the passage leading to the first floor, using his Teleportation ability along the way.

However, the monsters were managing to keep up with him.

'Why aren't there any other adventurers around?'

Whoosh!

That's when it happened. Immediately after using his Teleportation ability, a system message appeared before his eyes.

[The ability “Teleportation (EX)” has leveled up.]

[The ability “Teleportation (EX)” has reached Level 2.]

[The ability's range has increased to 30 meters.]

[Magic consumption will be reduced.]

As soon as Kael read all those messages, his lips curled into a smile. He activated his Teleportation ability and vanished completely from the War Shadows' sight. He activated the ability several times in rapid succession.

In just a few seconds, he traveled more than 400 meters.

As soon as he reached a safe place, Kael began to feel slightly dizzy.

Then, he noticed that there were people nearby.

“Hey, didn't that guy just appear out of nowhere?”

“Did you see that? He appeared in midair!”

“Was that an ability? Was he hiding somewhere?”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kael thought, 'I got lucky this time. My ability leveled up at exactly the right moment.'

####

Kael completely ignored the adventurers muttering about him. Still feeling dizzy, he walked toward the passage leading to the fifth floor. As soon as he stepped onto the fifth floor, he sat down on the ground.

It was the first time he'd genuinely felt exhausted inside the Dungeon.

'I should have updated my Falna before exploring the Dungeon again.'

Kael felt like an idiot. But he had learned from his mistakes, and he would definitely ask Hestia to update his Falna regularly from now on.

He stood up and calmly made his way through the fifth floor of the Dungeon, remaining cautious.

He encountered monsters along the way, but he managed to kill them, even though he was extremely tired.

By the time Kael left the Dungeon, he was exhausted. Many adventurers turned to look at him.

His body was drenched in sweat, and he was breathing heavily. He looked absolutely miserable. Kael walked into a nearby alley and sat down. He stretched out his legs and took a deep breath.

“Phewww, that was close.”

He stretched his arms, which were slightly sore. Then he looked up at the sky and said, “I think I'll ask Hestia to do it now.”

Kael stood up and walked toward the church. However, when he entered, he couldn't find Hestia.

He decided to lie down on the sofa and ended up falling asleep.

####

Far away, inside the tower itself, Hestia was cleaning the floor of a room while being watched by a woman wearing an eyepatch.

As she watched Hestia, Hephaestus spoke.

“I heard you recruited a new member for your Familia. I'm surprised. You're completely infatuated with that girl, and you didn't seem interested in accepting another member into your Familia.”

“Who told you that?”

“Hm? Some people saw you with a boy, and the two of you seemed close. Rumors spread quickly around here. So, what's he like?”

“Hm…”

Hestia stopped cleaning, and her lips curled into a smile.

“How should I put it… He seems very naive. He also seems genuinely excited about becoming an adventurer and exploring the Dungeon.”

“Well, that's obvious…”

“He's even more excited than most people. I can't really explain it. His eyes were sparkling the entire time he looked at me and talked about the Dungeon, as well as his sword skills.”

“Are you sure he wasn't looking at your breasts?”

“Idiot.”

Hestia clicked her tongue and went back to cleaning.

Hephaestus smiled and said, “If he's really a good person… I'm glad you managed to recruit another member for your Familia.”

“I've already told you, haven't I? One day, my Familia will become the strongest Familia in all of Orario.”

“Of course… Of course.”

Hephaestus didn't take her words seriously.

####

Kael slowly opened his eyes. As soon as he saw the ceiling, he was startled and quickly sat up.

“Where am I?”

“Did you sleep well?”

He heard a voice beside him.

It was Hestia, sitting on the sofa where he'd been sleeping. The sofa was large, so there was plenty of room.

When he saw her, Kael smiled sheepishly and apologized.

“I'm sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Hestia tilted her head, looking confused.

“I came into the church without permission and ended up sleeping here in the living room. I must have been in the way, right?”

“Of course not, you idiot. Besides, I only just got back. Bella was already here when I arrived, so she must be asleep now.”

“What time is it?”

“It's already nighttime.”

“I see.”

Kael scratched his head and stood up.

“I'm going now. I'll get started on something and then head to my room.”

“All right. Get some rest.”

“Oh, before I go, could you update my Falna? I'll be heading straight to the Dungeon tomorrow.”

“Update your Falna already? All right, I don't mind.”

Hestia was surprised.

Kael then took off his shirt, and Hestia updated his Falna. The moment she saw his stats, her eyes widened.

'Isn't this too fast? He's just like Bella…'

Hestia swallowed nervously.

Somehow, she had managed to recruit another incredibly talented individual.