"Appearance can be imitated, but what about personality?"
Despite Lily's 'Cinder Girl' magic allowing her to change into the appearance of others, it couldn't perfectly replicate their essence in other aspects.
Even if…
'Cinder Girl' magic combined with his 'Optimization' skill could perfectly replicate body shape and physique, it still lacked something.
This was Keare's evaluation after pulling up his pants.
Leaving the inn, Keare prepared to return to the Familia's base in the abandoned church. His mental energy was depleted and needed rest to recover.
He had decided on tomorrow's exploration target.
It was the unexplored 12th floor, the deepest part of the upper levels of the Dungeon.
To ensure the team's safety, he had to be fully prepared. After a deep sleep, when he woke up again in the morning,
Keare only felt the immense vitality this young body possessed.
After a quick wash, he looked at the girl still resting on the bed nearby: "Lady Hestia, I'm off to explore the Dungeon."
"Alright."
"Be careful!"
When Lily joined the Familia as a Supporter, she helped him with many things, such as the overall procurement of supplies for Dungeon exploration.
Keare only needed to wait at the Central Square.
"Don't say…"
"I'm actually getting used to this kind of life."
It had been some time since he came to Danmachi World. When he truly had time to think about the things that had happened, Keare felt it was somewhat surreal. Hestia had become his Goddess.
He had established good relations with Takemikazuchi, Yamato Mikoto, and others. If there was an unexpected interlude, it was probably… asking Lily to help with the selection.
Solving the Soma Familia's problem.
Once all these matters settled, life gradually returned to normal.
Dungeon exploration, increasing his strength, helping to heal the injuries of Adventurers at the bottom of Orario, earning money, and incidentally, gaining ability points.
"It's not bad."
"Stable ability point growth, at least I haven't gotten involved in other troubles."
Just as Keare arrived at the Central Square, waiting for Lily, a figure appearing in the distance surprised him. It was a light purple kimono paired with highly recognizable samurai armor.
Yamato Mikoto.
However, there were no Takemikazuchi Familia members around her; she was here alone.
Since they had met.
Keare certainly couldn't pretend not to see her, as she had taught him most of his practical sword skills, and there was also the promise from their last meal.
"Miss Ming."
"Are you also here to explore the Dungeon?"
i
99
Hearing the extremely familiar voice, the girl turned her head and saw Keare's highly recognizable face. Even she didn't notice the smile that unconsciously appeared on her face.
The latest news she heard about Keare was that he had become Takemikazuchi's disciple, but she hadn't seen Keare for the past two days.
She guessed he must be deeply engaged in Dungeon exploration and training, right?
"Good morning, Keare."
"How should I put it… After finishing the last Dungeon exploration, I felt like I had rested enough. Staying idle at home was boring, so I thought…"
"It's better to spend the time exploring the Dungeon."
Ming actually had something she was too embarrassed to say.
She couldn't let Keare, who had only recently become an Adventurer, catch up to her in terms of strength. Thinking of this, she looked at the young man in front of her.
It was truly hard not to be curious.
And now, the opportunity was right in front of her. How much rigorous training did Keare have to undergo to achieve such a qualitative leap in strength?
"Have you been exploring the Dungeon by yourself all this time?"
"Not recently."
"The Familia just recruited a Supporter. With her help, things have been a bit easier lately."
At this point, Keare looked at the black-haired, long-haired beautiful girl in front of him again. With Lv2 strength, reaching the 12th floor was no problem.
Even if his ability points increased, he had to approach it from a cautious perspective.
He proactively suggested: "Miss Ming, exploring the Dungeon alone always feels like something is missing. How about… we treat this as early practice?"
"It might help with our future team exploration."
The words had already been spoken to this extent.
Moreover, this was originally her own idea. After hearing Keare proactively mention it, Ming had no reason to refuse. She nodded and asked, "Then… what floor are you planning to explore?"
"The 12th floor."
"For Adventurers who haven't broken through to Lv2, it feels quite risky to rashly go to the middle levels. After all, when exploring, surviving is the most important thing."
"?"
However.
When Ming heard Keare's answer, her calm mood instantly shattered. She looked at the young man in front of her, who seemed so nonchalant.
She knew his character; he wouldn't boast in this regard.
It was precisely because of this that the girl felt an incredible disbelief. How many days had passed?
From the very beginning, when Keare sought her out to hone his martial arts and she recommended him to explore the Dungeon, as a new Adventurer, being able to reach the 7th floor…
That already made him a super rookie with excellent talent in Orario.
But knowing that Keare's target for exploration was the 12th floor of the Dungeon, didn't that mean… this guy's ability points had already reached the exploration threshold?
"Your talent truly makes one envious!" Ming's mood was hard to calm. She looked at Keare with eyes full of disbelief. From another perspective—
As long as his ability points reached a D rating, and as long as Keare completed his feat, wouldn't that mean… he would break Sword Princess Ais's record as the fastest breakthrough?
The girl didn't feel any sense of defeat.
Instead, she became incredibly curious about Keare's speed in increasing his strength. Perhaps there was something she could learn from him.
"We must team up!"
"Also, don't forget that meal you owe me from last time!"
As a Supporter, especially Keare's exclusive Supporter, Lily naturally knew what she had to do: resolve all miscellaneous tasks.
Procuring supplies, preparing for Dungeon exploration, etc.
However, compared to usual, she woke up a bit late today, mainly because before resting last night, she had a feeling as if her body was about to fall apart.
But after a full rest, Lily only felt her physical condition was better than ever before.
"Supporters can also increase their strength; it's just a more unique method."
This was a unique way of improvement belonging solely to Keare.
Putting aside other factors, this guy was a never-before-seen special existence to Lily, and even to countless Adventurers in all of Orario.
She had to cling tightly to him.
Even if it was in the capacity of his 'wing.' But just as she finished all preparations and arrived at the Central Square, seeing the girl talking to Keare…
A strong sense of crisis and a strange feeling immediately enveloped Lily.
"Could this be Keare's next target?"