Early this morning, Hestia had already dragged Ye Yu out of bed. Although it was his very first day venturing into the Dungeon, she seemed even more nervous than he was.
Helpless, Ye Yu could only let the young goddess fuss over him. Despite her somewhat clumsy adorableness, after all, everything she did was for his sake.
After finishing the heartfelt breakfast personally prepared by the goddess, Hestia escorted Ye Yu to the entrance of the Dungeon in the labyrinthine city of Orary.
Aside from the Dungeon itself, the most striking feature at the heart of the city was an imposing, towering structure.
Noticing Ye Yu's curious gaze fixed on the building, Hestia began to explain beside him.
"This is the Babel Tower, a skyscraper and the tallest building in Orary. It's used for monitoring the Dungeon and managing the guilds. It houses public facilities, auction halls, commercial establishments—you name it. The very top floor is where the gods reside."
"Why don't you live up there, Hestia?" Ye Yu asked with genuine curiosity.
Hestia's expression turned a little embarrassed.
"Well… there are some unavoidable reasons. After all, I haven't been down from the heavens for very long, so I lack the qualifications and power to live in the tower."
She looked up at the soaring Babel Tower, yet in her eyes, Ye Yu saw no trace of resentment or envy. It was as if the goddess had no interest whatsoever in that lavish building.
"Hmm… I got bored of living in luxurious places in the heavens long ago. Though the place I live now is a bit shabby and I have to work part-time to make ends meet, I'm really happy."
She said casually, a playful smile spreading across her face.
"Besides, now I have a family of my own. I'm already very satisfied—being greedy isn't a good thing."
Satisfied just like that… she really was a contented upper deity.
Thinking this, Ye Yu shook his head and, almost instinctively, gently placed his hand on Hestia's head once again.
"Don't do that, it's embarrassing! So many people are watching," she said, cheeks flushed, swatting his hand away.
The goddess glanced around nervously. After all, they were at the Dungeon's entrance. Though it was still early, many adventurers were already gathering to enter.
Fortunately, no one seemed to notice the intimate exchange between this unknown goddess and her familia.
"You have to do your best, but don't push yourself too hard, okay? It's best to team up with some experienced adventurers. If you can't join a party, you can at least sneak behind them," Hestia chattered on.
She stretched on tiptoes and tapped Ye Yu's head once more. After finally reaching, she smiled in satisfaction.
"I'll be waiting for your triumphant return, my hero."
"Yeah, don't worry. It's just the first floor, nothing to be nervous about."
Amused by his goddess's reaction, Ye Yu gently held her hand and spoke warmly.
"I'm a genius after all. Since I'm a genius, the first floor will be a complete breeze."
"That's right! Ye Yu, you really are a genius. You're definitely going to become the strongest adventurer in Orary."
Hestia nodded earnestly. Then, somewhat reluctantly, she released his hand and watched as Ye Yu took a step back.
"Well… I have to go to work now. Good luck!"
Ye Yu nodded gently and then stepped toward the Dungeon entrance.
He passed through the noisy crowd, ignoring some clearly rookie adventurers trying to strike up a conversation with him, and headed toward a less crowded path.
By instinct, Ye Yu disliked noisy environments. He realized he didn't really like crowded places.
After walking alone for a while, the surroundings fell completely silent. According to Eina, monsters usually emerge from the walls inside the Dungeon, so staying alert was crucial. Yet for some reason, Ye Yu couldn't bring himself to feel nervous.
"But… there aren't any monsters."
He muttered to himself, staring at the empty cavern.
After all, it was only the first floor, and countless adventurers passed through daily. Any weak goblins freshly spawned would likely be wiped out right away.
Should I… check out the second floor?
After wandering for a long time without seeing a single monster, Ye Yu looked at the staircase leading down and couldn't help but think so.
Although Eina had repeatedly warned him to be cautious—no, to be extra cautious—Ye Yu felt not the slightest unease after stepping into the Dungeon.
He experienced none of the anxiety or panic that a novice might typically feel upon entering such a place for the first time.
This naturally gave rise to a thought in Ye Yu's mind: So this is the Dungeon... it's really just like this.
It all felt far too ordinary, almost as if he were taking a casual stroll through his own backyard.
It wasn't that he was overly confident; rather, it was due to his temperament that he regarded danger—and even his own life—with a surprising sense of calm detachment.
Perhaps to others, this might seem reckless or foolish, but to Ye Yu, it was simply an everyday choice.
Since he hadn't encountered any monsters on the first floor, he figured—why not just head straight down to the second floor?
Admittedly, this reason was a little laughable, yet there was nothing particularly wrong with it.
With that mindset, Ye Yu descended the stairs and set off toward the second floor. Venturing straight to the second floor on his very first day in the Dungeon—he was truly one of the rarest kinds of adventurers in history.