Morning arrived right on time. Compared to yesterday, Keyaru was better rested—today's goal was to explore the first five floors of the Dungeon. The most obvious change after becoming an adventurer was the sheer energy in his body. Even if live training squeezed him dry, one night's sleep and he was back to normal.
"Being young is great. Today's target is floors 1–5."
He rolled off the old sofa and glanced around the basement—no sign of Hestia. On the table, a sheet of parchment was pinned down by valis, covered in neat, girlish script:
"Be extra careful in the Dungeon. I left you lunch money on the table—remember to eat something good. I'll wait to celebrate when you get back tonight!"
He tucked away all of Hestia's kindness. A new world, officially an adventurer, and a goddess who looked after him this much—Keyaru was fired up for the day.
"Starting tomorrow, I can finally stop mooching."
Letting Hestia's part-time jobs carry him was comfy, sure—but it didn't sit right with him. He flipped the parchment over. On the back was last night's updated status.
Keyaru
Lv 1
Strength: G259 | Endurance: G223 | Dexterity: G267 | Agility: G215 | Magic: G238
Development Abilities: None
Magic: Heal
Skills: Imitation
Given yesterday's high-intensity sparring, the across-the-board gains were exactly what he'd expected. No qualitative leap, but more than enough for shallow-floor monsters.
After a quick wash he donned the leather armor Hestia had gotten him; his weapon was a fine-steel short sword. Prep complete. He left the abandoned church.
The morning sun burned off the chill and fog, warm on his skin. Heading up the desolate South Main toward the city center and Babel, his feelings were mixed.
Two days of hard prep and now the unknown Dungeon—he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Monsters he'd only ever seen in fantasy back in his old life… But more than anything, he was curious. Sparring was one thing; how would real fights go?
"Play it safe."
At the central plaza by Babel he looked out over the crowd. Even in the morning, adventurers packed the place—moving in parties, talking in low voices. That's the perk of joining a big, stable Familia: rookies don't have to go it alone and can grow steadily with the team.
Hestia's Familia wasn't there yet; as the one sapling carrying his goddess's hopes, there wasn't much he could do beyond learning the Dungeon, raising his stats, and earning money to improve their lot. As for "building a Familia"…
"…I'll think about that later."
For shallow floors he didn't need a supporter. He headed straight for Babel—only to hit the next snag: registration with the Ganesha guards. Morning rush. With no handy subway turnstiles, he queued up like everyone else.
Ahead, a tiny supporter with a pack far too big for her frame and a beige hood pulled low fixed on a lone rookie—Keyaru. The Hephaestus crest on the scabbard at his hip screamed "expensive."
Though her face was disguised, the girl tugged down the brim and looked up at him with a timid smile.
"Um… Adventurer, do you need a supporter? I'm very cheap. I can collect magic stones and drops for you."
Keyaru looked down at the petite figure—a prum girl, by the look of it. Delicate, a little baby-faced, with messy brown hair on her shoulders.
Something about her felt oddly familiar. But for a newbie like him, a supporter was unnecessary right now. He shook his head. "Not for the moment."
"Really not? Lily only charges 500 valis!"
Her light-brown eyes were soft and wavering, like she had something she couldn't say. At any other time, running into a loli-cute girl like this, Keyaru would at least test the waters—but those last words made his pupils narrow.
He kept his face neutral and gave her a closer look—behind those light-brown eyes was a well-hidden loathing.
Liliruca Arde.
She had a lot of screen time in the original—practically part of the main cast. The arc hadn't reached that point; right now she was still mired in the Soma Familia's swamp.
But there was no denying that before she met the white-haired "rabbit," her actions were already a mess: embracing self-destruction, hating adventurers, using magic to steal their gear and sell it off "to get back" at them. Saving money to leave Soma Familia didn't justify harming uninvolved adventurers.
Get entangled with a walking disaster like that? He'd have to worry about a knife in the back. "Saving" a beauty wasn't his thing. That was Bell's role. Keyaru would stick to understanding, respecting—
—and walking away.
Time spent like that was better spent alone with Hestia; much better value in his book.
"I'm just a newbie. No need to hire a supporter," he said with a shrug.
"All right. If you need me later, you can find Lily here in the plaza." She beamed. She didn't want to give up on this fat sheep—an ordinary Hephaestus blade sold outside could fetch at least 200,000 valis.
"Maybe another time."
Keyaru didn't chat further. He followed the line through the spiral stairs to the Beginning Road. He could guess her plan with his eyes closed. Publicly warning her would be weird; even with a clear refusal, she'd probably still mark him as a target.
"Forgiving her is God's job. Mine would be to send her to meet God?"
He wasn't that extreme. But if someone came at him with malice, he wouldn't mind letting them taste the healer's brand of procedural justice.