At present, the number of Character Cards in Renjiro's possession, including the Traveler Twins, was five.
Among them, Aether, Lumine, and Xiao were all sitting comfortably at Lv.18.
Fischl, who had joined a little later, had caught up well at Lv.17.
Clearly, after three straight days of a shorter but intense mini grind session, her leveling efficiency had reached parity with the others.
As for Diona, drawn only a few days ago… she was already Lv.13.
Even though the number of mouths needing EXP had increased, her progress in just three days matched the gains Aether had made in his original seven-day grind fest when he first entered the Dungeon.
The conclusion was clear: Going deeper remains the most effective strategy.
But Renjiro wasn't a reckless brute. He knew that while adventurers sometimes needed to risk it all to break their limits, there was a fine line between a challenge of valor and the stupidity of throwing yourself away.
If the gap in power was too great, and you stubbornly charged in blind, that wasn't ambition. That was suicide.
We can start tackling the Middle Floors now… Especially the 13th Floor. If we take some risks there, it should still be manageable.
Having completed their supply run in Orario, Aether and Lumine walked side by side toward the central plaza beneath the Tower of Babel.
They hadn't even been back on the surface half a day. Not even a proper meal in between, already preparing to dive again.
True grindlords.
Then,
"GET OUT OF HERE ALREADY!!!"
A furious female shout erupted from a nearby street.
Heads turned, Aether and Lumine's included.
There, at the source,
"Uwah~!"
A petite, twin-tailed black-haired girl with strikingly blue eyes was hurled out of a doorway, landing square on her rear.
Her face scrunched in pain as she rubbed her backside.
Standing at the doorway: a tall red-haired woman, clad like a smith, with a black eyepatch over her right eye.
The petite girl pouted, voice whining like a sulking child:
"Ow, Hephaestus… that hurt! What was that for? Why'd you throw me out so suddenly?"
The redhead's brows furrowed in sheer exasperation.
"Hestia! I took you in out of our old friendship in Heaven, fed you, housed you, and what have you done these past three months? Nothing! No job. No Familia recruitment. Not a single step toward establishing yourself. Just lazing around all day, shut up in your room like a useless hermit!"
She exhaled deeply, reining in her rising anger.
"No more. Even if we are god-friends, I've indulged you far too much. From now on, it's time you truly experienced the harshness of the Lower World."
"H-Hephaestus?"
The twin-tailed girl's attempt at a puppy-eyed bluff was cut short,
BANG!
The red-haired smith slammed the door shut in her face.
Aether blinked.
…Three months of tolerance before she snapped? Now that's real friendship.
"Mm. Agreed."
He and Lumine traded deadpan remarks while nearby pedestrians whispered, pointing openly at the scene.
The little goddess pouted harder, glaring at the closed door.
"Hmph! Geez, what's her problem… I just wanted to enjoy a little of the Lower World's new lifestyle. What's so wrong with taking a three-month break?!"
Dusting herself off, she muttered,
"Whatever. I'll be starting my own Familia soon anyway. Time to… uh, recruit some children of the Lower World~."
With that, she scurried off, vanishing around a corner to escape the gawking crowd.
Aether and Lumine exchanged a knowing look, both nodding slightly.
At this timeline… the 'main story' begins in about three months.
A crucial confirmation.
Their eyes sharpened.
Which means… our time to grow stronger is very short. We need to accelerate our leveling pace.
The Dungeon Grind resumes!!!
================
Two Days Later
"Manifest, Oz!"
The voice rang out across the Middle Floors, on the notorious 13th Floor, the so-called First Dead Line of the Dungeon.
Inside a cavernous dome-shaped chamber, its ceiling dozens of meters above, five figures moved in perfect sync, engaging a horde of monsters in ferocious battle.
================Notes:
Character Cards – A Genshin-style system unique to Renjiro in this crossover.
Middle Floors – The point where difficulty spikes; monsters gain ranged attacks like the infamous Hellhounds. Known as the First Dead Line because so many new Lv.2 adventurers perish here.
Hestia – The famous "Loli Goddess."
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