"Mr. Gude—you were the one who personally assured me you'd explore the Dungeon only under safe conditions, correct?"
Inside the Guild's reception room, Eina sat on the sofa opposite Gude, her expression furious.
"Then what exactly was that about—going down to the 12th Floor alone?"
"You've been an adventurer for less than two weeks! No matter how you look at it, that's a reckless, common-sense-deficient thing to do! What on earth were you thinking!?"
"…Damn it. When did you find out?"
Gude frowned.
He'd never exchanged loot from beyond Floor 5 at the Guild—he'd sold it outside specifically to avoid attention.
So someone he'd met in the Dungeon must have talked. Nosy busybodies.
Still, in a city like Orario, secrets at that level didn't stay buried. Sooner or later, they always came out.
And even setting ordinary adventurers aside—those gods living down here were all bored thrill-seekers.
Just having a new adventurer reach Level 2 was enough to get them tossed onto the "banquet table" of the frequently held Divine Council, discussed as entertainment.
Then, based on that new Level 2's traits, they'd argue over and decide a title.
And as someone kept leveling, that title could be revised again and again.
Like the Sword Princess.
So when Gude explored the Dungeon, he hadn't really tried to avoid people.
Mostly because avoiding others meant detours—and detours meant slowing down his stat grind.
"'Damn it,' huh? You've got some nerve, Gude."
Eina's anger flared into something rare—genuine, unfiltered fury.
Her body trembled slightly as she spoke.
And honestly, it made sense.
Over these days of near-daily contact, Gude had gotten much more familiar with her.
As his strength rose, this world had gone from unfamiliar to familiar. He'd also built up two million valis in savings, fully repaid his Guild loan, and carried himself with more ease.
With everything mixing together, the way he talked with Eina—a friend at this point—was less guarded than with strangers. Now and then, he even shared personal stories.
The root of Eina's anxiety wasn't simply "being strict."
Back when she first started as a Guild advisor, one female human adventurer under her guidance had died on an expedition.
After that, she couldn't stand it when rookies took risks on their own.
But at the core, it was responsibility—and worry.
So the solution was simple:
Make Eina understand that going to Floor 12 wasn't reckless for him.
And so—
Gude began unfastening the buttons of his shirt.
"—Eh?! Wait, Gude, what are you doing!?"
Even Eina, experienced as she was with people, froze at his sudden action.
This room had no one else. Only the two of them.
And Eina was a non-combat desk worker.
Gude was a real front-line adventurer.
In other words: he was the strong party, she was the weak party. If he chose to do something to her, she had no power to resist.
The moment that thought hit, Eina's anger evaporated.
The base of her pointed ears flushed red.
"H-Hey… Gude, I—"
"Eina. You studied at the Academy District, right? And you graduated with honors in Comprehensive Theology?"
The question yanked Eina straight out of panic and into confusion.
"Yes… but what does that have to do with what you're doing right now…?"
"If you're a theology graduate, then reading basic Sacred Script shouldn't be a problem."
At that, Eina finally understood.
"You want me to see your status?"
"Exactly. That way you can stop worrying. And I can exchange valis through you without getting stabbed by your gaze every time."
"The second half was unnecessary."
Eina didn't make a show of refusing on "privacy" grounds.
If Gude himself was offering, then it meant he considered her trustworthy enough.
That didn't need to be said out loud.
And once she understood the reason, Eina did feel relieved.
Though, to be honest… from Gude's attitude, she could tell his status was probably decent.
But he'd become an adventurer less than two weeks ago.
No matter what, his stats shouldn't exceed H (100–199).
After all—even Ais Wallenstein had taken a full year to reach Level 2.
"Go ahead."
Eina let out a small sigh and focused on Gude's back.
The first thing she noticed was his broad shoulders and solid build—exactly the kind that made people feel safe.
That was slightly unexpected.
So Gude's claim that he'd kept training even before becoming an adventurer was true.
And it probably wasn't casual training, either.
N-No—what am I thinking? I'm here to read his status!
Eina reprimanded herself internally, cheeks a little warm, then looked to the stove-pattern crest—proof of the Hearth Goddess's Familia—carved into his back.
"By the way," Gude said, "don't peek at the skill section."
"W-What!? I—I won't peek!"
His sudden warning startled her into blurting out an answer.
But words like that only made curiosity worse.
The more someone said don't look, the more—when the chance was right in front of you—you wanted to.
Idiot…
Eina took a deep breath, steadied herself, and read the sacred script.
And the moment she finished the first pass, her expression changed into one of stunned doubt—as if she'd started suspecting she hadn't learned her craft properly.
"…No way."
She reviewed her studies, confirmed her parsing was correct—
Then looked again.
The text hadn't changed.
Merciless, unmoving, it slammed into her common sense and shattered everything she thought she understood about adventurers.
"S… four primary stats, all at S-rank!?"
Eina's pupils contracted. Her mind shook.
As the person responsible for Gude at the Guild, she knew as well as anyone exactly how long he'd been an adventurer.
Less than two weeks.
Four stats at S.
It was so absurd it felt like a joke on the laws of the world.
Realizing it wasn't an illusion, Eina reflexively overlapped both hands and covered the engraved status.
As if beneath her palms lay Pandora's box—something that, once opened, would spill out secrets capable of overturning reality.
Seeing her reaction, Gude asked calmly, without turning around:
"Judging by that, you're done reading, right? Then with my status, exploring the 12th Floor isn't a problem—correct?"
He stood, still facing away from her, and began pulling his clothes back on.
Eina withdrew her hands.
"Gude… you're cruel."
She sounded half annoyed, half helpless.
"You let someone see something like that… You knew I'd be so shocked I wouldn't be able to speak, didn't you?"
"Who knows?" Gude replied, lightly teasing as he continued dressing.
But the curiosity he'd stirred refused to die.
In the last moment—right before his shirt fully covered his back—Eina betrayed her own moral restraint and sneaked a glance at the skill section.
Two rare skills.
So that abnormal growth rate really was due to skill effects…
Still.
It was incredible.
And unlike anything she'd ever seen before.
…
-------
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