Chapter 10 - Don't die. (Patreon)

As soon as he received the paper with his status, Kael smiled.

“My stats have increased so much… I'm surprised,” he murmured.

Hestia heard his words and said, “I'm surprised too. Your growth is incredibly fast… And this was only over two days, wasn't it?”

“Yeah. I explored as far as the sixth floor today.”

When she heard that, Hestia's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“The sixth floor? What were you doing on the sixth floor? Have you lost your mind?”

Hestia turned pale and grabbed Kael by the shoulders.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Huh? Well… It was difficult, but I didn't die, did I?”

“You… You're an idiot.”

Hestia sighed and then stomped her foot against the floor.

“Don't do that again. If you pull something like that, I'll be angry. I just recruited you, and you're already trying to get yourself killed?”

“All right, I'm sorry,” Kael apologized with a bitter smile.

Of course, however, he didn't promise Hestia that he wouldn't go to the sixth floor again.

Now that his Falna had been updated, he planned to venture even deeper.

####

As soon as he arrived at the inn, Kael opened his status window.

Name: Kael

Title: Teleporter

Familia: Hestia

Level: 1 (1,388/100,000)

Strength (STR): I 64

Endurance (END): I 53

Dexterity (DEX): I 66

Agility (AGI): I 72

Magic (MAG): I 60

Abilities: Teleportation (EX) LV2 / Swordsmanship LV1

His numbers had been updated, and the values that had previously appeared in parentheses were gone.

Kael didn't feel tired, so falling asleep was a little difficult. Nevertheless, he eventually managed to drift off.

Kael woke up very early the next morning.

He ate breakfast, and as soon as the sun rose, he was already standing in front of the Tower of Babel.

There were fewer adventurers around than usual.

'I got here really early.'

Kael was happy to have arrived at the Dungeon so early, since everything was peaceful and quiet. He didn't like crowded, noisy places.

With a smile, he walked toward the Dungeon's entrance.

However, before entering, he reached for the hilt of his sword.

He slowly drew it from its sheath and examined the blade.

“…”

Kael noticed a crack in the blade. It would break soon.

Kael turned around and approached someone.

“Excuse me, do you know where I can buy a sword?”

“Hm?”

The man looked at Kael incredulously before pointing upward.

“Go up there. The Hephaestus Familia's shops are upstairs. You'll find swords and other kinds of weapons there.”

“Are the prices affordable?”

“…”

The man didn't answer and simply walked away.

Kael didn't have any money on him, but even so, he climbed the tower for the first time, eventually reaching the floor where the Hephaestus Familia's shop was located.

As soon as he arrived, his appearance attracted attention.

Kael was dazzled by everything around him. He began wandering through the store like a child visiting a museum for the first time.

Numerous swords were on display, but whenever Kael checked their prices, he immediately gave up on buying them.

Some of the swords cost millions of Valis. He couldn't afford them even if he sold his own organs.

'This is insane…' he thought.

Then, someone approached him.

“Can I help you?” a woman asked as she walked over.

'Oh, she has a kind smile,' Kael thought.

'He's handsome and very well-dressed. He must have money,' the woman thought as she smiled at him.

####

Contrary to the woman's expectations, Kael didn't have much money. Even so, she treated him very well and recommended a sword that fit his budget.

However, even though it was within his budget, it still cost 70,000 Valis.

That was a considerable sum.

The woman explained to Kael that 50,000 Valis was the average price for a good-quality sword, and that this one was above average. It wasn't a magic sword, but it would be good enough for exploring the first few floors.

Kael told the woman he would go and get the money, and that's exactly what he did.

After paying for his new sword, Kael sold his old one to the shop. The staff told him they could reuse its materials.

Kael left the tower with a new sword at his waist, which made him very satisfied.

'However, I've spent a large portion of my savings… I need to sell those magic stones and earn some money.'

Kael hadn't even registered with the Guild yet, despite already exploring the Dungeon.

Hestia hadn't mentioned it to him, either.

'I'd better take care of that now.'

Kael decided to postpone his exploration and headed to the Adventurers' Guild instead.

As soon as he entered, he was surprised by the number of adventurers inside.

'Well, it is the Guild…'

He smiled bitterly.

There were plenty of employees, but Kael walked toward the one who interested him most.

Rose Fannett.

She was a werewolf girl with red hair and a pair of wolf ears on her head that matched the color of her hair.

As soon as Rose saw Kael approaching, she looked at him with interest.

“I'd like to register,” Kael told her.

“All right,” Rose replied without giving it much thought. “I'll help you with that.”

Rose first checked whether Kael had indeed received a God's Falna. When she saw that it belonged to the Hestia Familia, she was surprised.

'He's the second member,' she thought with a smile.

Since Kael treated her respectfully, Rose treated him very well in return.

She helped him fill out the paperwork, and afterward, the two sat down and talked for a long time.

Rose explained all the Dungeon's rules to him and also told him that she would be his advisor from that moment onward.

Whatever he needed, she would be there to help.

In addition, Rose offered him some equipment for beginners. Since Kael already had a high-quality sword, he accepted only the armor.

After spending nearly an hour at the Guild, Kael bowed his head slightly to Rose and thanked her.

The last thing she said to him before he left the Guild was:

“Don't die.”