"???" Hestia stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
"Didn't you just level up to 4 yesterday?!" Even though she'd already accepted that her Familia child was anything but ordinary, she was still shocked by Su Mo's speed. It hadn't even been a full month, and he was already Level 4. And now he could advance again? Level 5—that was the mark of a top-tier adventurer!
"Just had a teeny bit of a lucky encounter, that's all," Su Mo said modestly.
"A... little bit?" Hestia didn't even know how to respond to that.
But if Su Mo didn't want to elaborate, she wasn't going to press him. When it came to doting on her child, Hestia was second to none in all of Orario. Climbing onto Su Mo's back, she bit her fingertip and began working on the Falna carved into his skin.
Once again, she was greeted by those unbelievable numbers— ??? / 9999 All of his stats had completely overflowed. And beyond that, there was a long list of unmentionable magic and skills that absolutely could not be revealed to the public.
"You've definitely met the conditions for a level-up," Hestia confirmed with a nod.
"The development ability—same choices as last time. Which one do you want?"
When Su Mo had advanced to Level 4, he had selected [Mystery].
In this world, [Mystery] was a skill reserved for the elite—allowing adventurers to wield knowledge and power akin to the gods themselves. Legends spoke of sages who created the Philosopher's Stone thanks to that very skill. For Su Mo, who already possessed divine powers, the skill wasn't that useful. But it made for a perfect cover.
With [Mystery], he could reasonably explain away his god-tier abilities. After all, even if Hestia could keep secrets, lying wasn't exactly her strong suit. This time around, as he prepared to reach Level 5, Su Mo considered the options again. Most of the available development abilities still didn't offer much for him.
But if he had to pick one— "Go with [Hunter]."
The [Hunter] skill was a common development trait among adventurers. It granted a boost in combat effectiveness against monsters—a general-purpose advantage. For a normal adventurer, [Hunter] made dungeon dives easier. Su Mo didn't need the extra help, of course. But it was still a passive skill with a type-advantage trait. That alone made it worth taking.
Plus, with his growing experiences from multiple worlds, [Hunter] might evolve even faster than he did. If the skill could reach S-Rank, its benefits—especially against divine beasts—would be immense. As for gods... the effect would probably be limited, but not negligible. In short, it had future potential.
Soon enough, Hestia completed the upgrade. Because level-ups increased his stats based on a set ratio, Su Mo could immediately feel a subtle but all-encompassing boost to his physical condition. The change wasn't huge, but it was steady and reliable.
A few seconds later—
"Hestia?" Su Mo called out, puzzled. The level-up was done, but Hestia hadn't moved. She was still sitting on his back. In response to his confusion, she just giggled.
"Hehehe~" Hestia giggled foolishly as she clung to Su Mo's back, pressing a white slime-like cushion against him.
"Su Mo, I just remembered something," she said brightly. "The Holy Moon Festival is coming up in a little over half a month!" The loli goddess spoke in a tone like a child begging for candy.
The Holy Moon Festival was a traditional celebration that had existed long before the descent of the gods. It honored the lunar deity—Artemis. Even in Orario, the festival was observed, with various events and celebrations held on that day. Hearing Hestia mention it, Su Mo's expression shifted slightly. The arrival of the Holy Moon Festival could mean only one thing—the Artemis incident was approaching.
In the original storyline, the timeline for that event was vague, only described as happening "soon." But to think it would arrive this quickly… it caught him by surprise. That meant that after Artemis visited Hestia, she must have gone off to fight the monster Antares. By the time the Moon Festival took place in the original, Artemis had already been devoured by Antares. Several gods were aware of it by then.
In other words, her defeat would occur sometime before the festival itself. If he wanted to save the goddess—and earn the power of the moon as a reward—then he had only this half month to act. Looks like he'd need to pick up the pace in collecting Philosopher's Stones. As he was lost in thought, the Hestia clinging to his back noticed his silence. She immediately threw her arms around his neck.
"Suuu~ Moo~!" she whined sweetly, turning on the charm.
"What about the Moon Festival? Are there snacks you're dying to try?" Su Mo asked, shaking himself free of his musings and looking at her curiously. Festivals always brought with them a flood of food stalls, after all.
"Well, yes! I do want to try all the yummy treats!" Hestia nodded eagerly—then quickly pouted and shook her head. "But don't make it sound like I only care about food!"
"I wanted to ask you out, duh! A real date!"
Finally, the little goddess confessed her true reason. Though she certainly had her eye on the food, she really just wanted to spend time with Su Mo at the festival.
"Oh, so that's what this is about?" Su Mo chuckled.
"Did you really have to bring it up half a month in advance?"
"Hmph! Who knows if some vixen might snatch you away before then?" Hestia huffed, puffing out her cheeks.
"Like that Ais Wallenstein, or maybe Eina and the rest of those girls…" The blue-ribboned goddess, as always, was quick to get jealous.
"Don't worry. Since it's something Hestia asked for, there's no way I'd turn it down." Su Mo nodded, accepting her invitation. The smile that bloomed on Hestia's face was pure joy. She really was too innocent. She hadn't realized that a true time management master could juggle three dates in a single evening. But fortunately, Su Mo wasn't that kind of person. His style wasn't roundabout or deceptive—he always acted openly and with sincerity.
———
———
Due to the upcoming Moon Festival, Su Mo had been farming magic stones even harder these past few days. Unfortunately, after three solid days of efficient grinding, Ais—his best assistant—had to leave for a familia expedition. Without her support, he was forced to handle things solo for the time being, which slowed him down a bit.
Still, between the stones he gathered and those refined via his own mana distillation, it looked like he'd have enough soon. So, Su Mo wasn't particularly worried. On the first day after Ais' departure, in the afternoon, deep on the tenth floor of the Dungeon—
Su Mo stood with a serious look on his face as he stared down his opponent: a goblin. It had been a long time since he dealt with enemies of this level. This goblin wielded a crude wooden club—normally their strength would barely rival a child's. But this one looked far more robust, with combat power on par with a grown man.
Even facing such a low-level threat, Su Mo wore a focused expression. The brutish goblin charged forward, swinging its stone hammer with a howl. Su Mo took a single step back, narrowly dodging the attack. The hammer passed by with less than a centimeter to spare. To any bystander, that dodge would've looked dangerously close. Yet Su Mo didn't draw a weapon. Instead, he kept his gaze locked on the goblin, entirely serious. Feeling provoked, the goblin let out another roar and lunged again, thinking it could crush this foolish adventurer.
However—
With no wind, no spell cast, and no physical contact—
The goblin's body abruptly split apart, its limbs flying in four directions. In an instant, it dropped dead. Its remains vanished into light, leaving behind a small magic stone. Seeing this, Su Mo smiled in satisfaction.
"Looks like I've gotten the hang of manipulating the death lines of ordinary lifeforms."
The reason he didn't attack just now was because he'd been practicing his reworked Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. In this world, abilities grew stronger the more they were used. So, alongside his regular stone farming, Su Mo would often retreat to the upper floors to train his eyes by staring enemies to death.
Perhaps due to his overwhelming base strength, the skill's mastery had progressed quickly. In less than half a day, he could already manipulate the death lines of typical level 1 monsters with ease. He intended to keep honing it further.
Just as he was about to seek out his next target—
"Hmm?"
He heard shouting. Human voices—swearing, to be exact—and the sound of something (or someone) being struck.
"Way out here… Is it another veteran tricking a newbie?" Su Mo instantly understood the situation. The Dungeon was a place where murder was easy to get away with—no witnesses, no consequences. It wasn't uncommon for seasoned adventurers to scam or harm new ones. Sometimes it was just robbery, but sometimes it was worse.
He'd seen this kind of thing a few times himself, usually in remote areas like this—places he'd often choose when training his Mystic Eyes. Su Mo wasn't some self-righteous saint, but he also couldn't pretend not to see. If the person being attacked was someone worth saving, he wouldn't mind lending a hand. So, after a brief pause, he quietly moved toward the source of the commotion.