[Name: Bell Cranel
Lv.4 → Lv.5
Development Abilities:
· Stealth: B
· Cognition: E
· Space: E
Attributes:
Strength: ??? 1221–1679
Endurance: ??? 1436–1894
Defense: ??? 1348–1759
Agility: ??? 1399–1478
Magic: ??? 1931–2010
"Four-Dimensional Space":
· Storage
"Lightning Command":
· Quick-Cast Magic
· Lightning Manipulation
Skills:
"Personal Training":
· Early Bloomer
· Double Experience from Fighting Strong Enemies
"Heaven's Luck":
· High Luck
"The Poor Man's Desire":
· Charge]
Looking over his stats, Bell understood why his agility and magic hadn't improved much.
Lately, he'd been focused on correcting his body's bad habits at home. Alongside physical training, he'd been refining his strength, endurance, and technique. As a result, those three stats had skyrocketed, while the ones he hadn't focused on showed only modest growth.
Still, Bell knew that if word got out about him hitting these numbers and still growing at this pace, people would be floored.
On the flip side, the fact that he had this much room left for growth at his current stage also meant he hadn't hit his true ceiling yet.
"There's still room to grow."
Bell never intended to rank up the moment his stats reached this level. His benchmark was the limit he set for himself—not what passed for the average adventurer's standard.
"Hmm, your agility and strength still have plenty of potential. At the pace you're progressing, all you need now is solid training in the Dungeon to push your stats even higher."
Hestia had no doubts about Bell's growth potential. Her concerns lay elsewhere.
"Bell-kun, Freya had Hermes come by again. She wants to set a time for another meeting."
"Huh? Didn't we already see her at the banquet a month ago?"
"Mm... She said a banquet's just a banquet. She was invited as a guest, not for a prearranged meeting."
At the mention of it, Hestia's face twisted in frustration. Freya's behavior was completely shameless.
"I doubt Freya-sama would pass up an opportunity like this. After all, we did agree to meet, and a banquet doesn't count as the scheduled meeting. Naturally, Freya-sama wouldn't consider that a proper appointment."
From what Bell knew, this was usually the kind of excuse a guy would use to ask a girl out for a second date. If the girl agreed, it meant she didn't dislike the guy, and both sides were willing to give it a shot.
But in his case, it just felt like he was being stalked by a clingy, obsessive yandere.
Sure, the woman might technically have the right to refuse—but when it came to a goddess's invitation, he had no such luxury. Especially now, the last thing Bell wanted was to provoke Freya.
"But Freya-sama wouldn't resort to force."
"I know that."
Freya's usual methods were anything but subtle—Hestia obviously knew that already.
"So there's no need to stress over it."
Bell spoke lightly, though deep down, he hadn't truly let his guard down when it came to Freya. Until he had absolute strength, underestimating her—or any god—wasn't something he could afford.
And since there was no way to avoid the situation, even if Hestia felt uncomfortable, she couldn't bring herself to say, "Don't go."
"Hephaestus hasn't returned yet?"
"Mm. The Familia's been getting more requests lately, and Hephaestus had to go back and handle some accounting work.
Oh, and there's also the money from selling those Rune Stones last month."
"Leave it for now."
Bell stopped Hestia just as she reached into her spatial pouch.
"Could you hang onto it for me, Hestia?"
"And what about Loki?"
"Loki? That one only comes back late at night."
"Heh~ That's a perfect time, then."
Before Hestia could fully process what that meant, Bell scooped her up in his arms.
"Eh?"
He had just told her to keep her distance a moment ago, and now here he was carrying her.
A soft, warm voice whispered beside her ear.
"Hestia, I just finished training and I'm drenched in sweat. Think you could help me wipe my back?"
The request sent a shiver through Hestia's whole body. She instantly realized why Bell had just asked about Hephaestus and Loki.
Images of their usual "contact" flashed through her mind, and her cheeks flushed red.
"Mm."
It wasn't the first time, after all. Blushing, she still nodded in agreement.
Bell carried Hestia away from the courtyard.
...
As night fell over Orario once more, it marked the start of the taverns' nightly rush.
The "Hostess of Fertility" was, as usual, packed in the evenings.
Several waitresses bustled around the tavern, tending to the constant flow of customers.
"Mama Mia, gimme a drink!"
Groups of drinkers toasted and chatted away, enjoying some downtime.
And lately, the hottest topic was—
"Hey, I heard you guys caught an Evilus member recently?"
The question caught the attention of nearby tables, drawing eyes to the conversation.
"Yeah... we did spot one, but just when we were about to nab the bastard, he blew himself up."
The man speaking looked visibly unsettled. You could still see the image of that crazed Evilus member in his eyes.
The sheer madness—reckless and unafraid of death—was enough to make anyone shudder. No one could figure out how those lunatics were wired.
But after the shock wore off, all that was left was bitter regret.
"If that kid had reacted just a split-second slower, we would've had him."
"Yeah, real shame."
The others nearby didn't look the least bit sorry—only amused. Still, they pressed on.
"You ran into them in the Dungeon?"
"Yeah. Spotted a few shady-looking guys around the 11th floor. Got curious, checked it out—turns out it really was them."
"The 11th floor? That's kinda deep..."
The 11th floor was definitely risky territory for a Level 1 adventurer.
It was where Infant Dragons spawned. Even if they were young, they were still Infant Dragons—Level 2 monsters. Not something a Level 1 could take on easily.
So even knowing Evilus might be lurking on that floor, no Level 1 adventurer would dare wander around down there.
"Hey man, how much is the Guild bounty anyway? You must know since you turned one in, right?"
"Hmm... Level 1 grunts go for 500,000 Valis. Level 2 gets you 1 million. Level 3, 5 million. Level 4 is 30 million. And Level 5? That's 100 million Valis."
"Holy—!"
The entire place erupted in gasps.
Everyone knew the Guild offered big bounties, but no one expected Level 5 to jump all the way to 100 million Valis. That kind of number was hard to even dream about.