With no further interruptions, the two began the updating process.
— Before you tell me what you want to improve, let me show you your current attributes. — Hestia said. — After all, it's been quite a while since the last time we touched your Falna.
— Unhum...
Hestia grabbed a sheet of paper and, using her divine powers, transcribed the information directly from the Falna before handing it to Luki.
(STR): 65 I(+22) = 87 I
(END): 368 F(+30) = 398 F
(DEX): 99 I(+14) = 113 H
(AGI): 99 I(+19) = 118 H
(MAG): 0 I
'Hmm... looks like my stats went up on their own. Nice. Must've been from all that effort in the Dungeon.
But... they've never gone up this much before. Maybe I really did push past my limits?'
As he studied his status, Luki drifted into his own thoughts. The memory of the last expedition, the battles against smarter and fiercer monsters, resurfaced with intensity.
'I need to raise my strength. Not just enough to survive, but enough to be safe. Making clean kills will only get harder with those clever goblins. I need to be able to trade blows without breaking myself to pieces. I know it sounds like a waste, maybe, with more skill, caution, or good equipment, I wouldn't even need this, but for now, it's what I have.'
Main priority: Strength.
'And then there's their speed... they were way faster than before. If I get caught off guard, I won't even be able to react. I need to get Dexterity up to at least two hundred.'
He frowned.
'But if I focus on that, there won't be much left for Agility and Endurance... Come to think of it, I haven't even asked yet.'
— Hestia-sama, hoW many pOInts?
— Hm? Points? You want to know exactly how many points you have to spend?
She made a face, bringing her hand to her chin.
— Well... it's kinda tricky to calculate that. Each point costs a little more Excelia than the last, and it takes a bit of guesswork to count... But let me see...
Hestia stared at the Falna with a distant look, as if deciphering some invisible riddle. She muttered quietly while doing some bizarre calculations only she understood.
— Three hundred sixty-five... three sixty-six... three sixty-seven... Yes, that's right! Three hundred sixty-eight attribute points available!
She leaned in with a satisfied smile.
— Wait... I think you didn't get it. That's three, six, eight! Three hundred and sixty-eight points!
— Uhm...
'368 points... I've never gotten this many at once. And that's not even counting the bonuses I gained naturally through physical effort...'
Luki narrowed his eyes, doing the math in his head.
'Twenty-two, plus thirty, plus fourteen, plus nineteen... eighty-five. Add that to the three sixty-eight... Four hundred and fifty-three.'
His eyes widened.
'Holy shit... more than four hundred and fifty points in a single day?! Damn... should I break the other arm, would I get even more?'
A smile slipped out before he realized, laughing at his own absurd joke. But soon his expression hardened again — there were still important choices to make.
'One hundred thirteen points to raise Strength to two hundred. With that, I'm pretty sure goblins on the first floor won't be a problem anymore. Then with eighty points, I can push Dexterity up to two hundred as well.'
'That leaves... around one sixty-something.'
'That's the problem.'
'Do I spend a hundred on Agility and the rest on Endurance? Or the other way around?'
Before, this would have been an easy decision. But now, without his armor, things were different.
'Maybe it's better to compensate with natural Endurance. Besides, Hestia always nags me to keep Endurance as my highest stat... and well...'
Luki lowered his gaze to his bandaged arm. A bitter reminder — or maybe just a fresh scar — of what happens when you're too weak.
'On the other hand... speed is king in combat.'
'I don't feel comfortable with low Agility, even if I don't run away that much.'
'And with one arm down, I'll need to be as fast as possible to make up for it in close combat.'
He sighed.
'Ugh... tough choice.'
He bent forward, running a hand through his hair, across his forehead, down his neck. He pinched the bridge of his nose, scratched his head... it was obvious just how deep he was into his own thoughts.
Hestia tried to give her opinion, even offer suggestions, but despite her help, the indecision stood like a wall. Luki simply couldn't decide.
...
— Arrgh... — he grumbled, scratching his head in frustration before finally raising his eyes with a determined look.
— Hestia-sama, givE me a pencIL.
— A pencil? Hm... let me see if I can find one.
She got up and rummaged through the drawers of the cabinet. By some miracle, she found an old pencil at the back of one.
Luki set the paper on the bed and began scribbling carefully. He knew he couldn't explain his choices out loud with enough precision, so he wrote them down instead, calmly.
When he finished, he handed the paper to Hestia, who took it with an eager smile and immediately began the update process.
— Ugh! — Luki groaned, teeth clenched as a strange pain spread through his body.
'What's happening? It never hurt before... It's not unbearable, but... is it because the increase was so big all at once? Could it be... there's so much power now that I can physically feel the change?'
— Aaaand... done! — Hestia announced cheerfully, grabbing a clean sheet to transcribe the updated Falna.
Luki received the paper and began to read.
Name: Luki BryanLevel: 1
Stats:
(STR): 87 I(+138) = 225 G
(END): 398 F(+11) = 409 E
(DEX): 113 H(+112) = 225 G
(AGI): 118 H(+107) = 225 G
(MAG): 0 I
Skills: Tireless Explorer I
Magic: None
— I have to admit... — Hestia said, folding her arms proudly — you're getting really strong, Lukichan. Not that I'm surprised, of course, but I didn't expect it to be this fast!
— Hestia-sama...
— And to think a certain someone was whining about not seeing any progress... I wonder what he'd say now, looking at these numbers?
— Hestia-sama...
— And you still kept Endurance as your highest stat! I confess I thought you'd dump everything into Strength after some harsh reality checks down there...
— Hestia-sama!
— AHHH! What is it?! Luki-kun, are you okay?! Are you in pain?! Should I call a doctor? Something's wrong?! Talk to me, Luki-kun!
Luki handed her the paper without saying much, just muttering:
— ...LOOk.
Hestia, who had been rambling about lavender shampoos and the ideal bathwater temperature, stopped mid-sentence. She blinked, realizing she'd been babbling, and scratched her cheek with an awkward laugh.
— I-I was just trying to lighten the mood, you know? A little levity after such an intense update... ha ha...
Luki kept a neutral expression.
— Just lOOk.
Hestia took the paper, glanced at the stats, scanned the lines with the casualness of someone checking a grocery list.
— Hm? Huh, everything looks fine. You really did get strong! But... what's the problem?
He didn't answer. Just pointed with his finger.
— LOOk again.
Hestia raised a brow, reading more carefully this time. She went over the lines slowly. Luki stood still, his finger firmly pointing at the most important part.
She squinted, read again. Nothing. Read a third time.
Luki sighed, lost patience, and pointed directly:
— Here. "Tireless Explorer I".
— ...Oh. — Hestia blinked slowly. — I see. You got a skill. Congratulations, Luki-kun.
Silence.
She looked at Luki.
Then at the paper.
Back to Luki.
And once more at the paper.
Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open as if a level 10 monster had just appeared right in front of her. She gripped the paper with both hands, nearly crumpling it, and pressed it to her face as if burying herself into the words might change what was written.
— EHHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!!!
The scream echoed through the room, making even one of the windows rattle.
— H-h-how is this possible?! How did you get a skill out of nowhere?! People usually take years of constant effort to earn a skill!
Luki stared at her with dead-fish eyes, thought for a moment, then shrugged as if it wasn't his problem.
Hestia was dumbfounded, outraged at his reaction.
— At least pretend to be happy! You stupid elf!!
— Yaaay... — he raised a hand and waved lazily, without an ounce of enthusiasm.
Hestia glared like she wanted to strangle him, but managed to restrain herself, taking several deep breaths before regaining composure.
— Fine, fine, now's not the time for this nonsense. I need to see what this skill does. Turn around!
With nothing else to do, he obeyed. Grumbling internally that his back was starting to hurt from sitting still so long.
Meanwhile, Hestia worked with her divine powers.
Skills, unlike what people usually think, aren't something you can just obtain by relentless training alone. How could something tied to divine blessing be that simple?
Skills are unique effects born from an adventurer's soul. They appear naturally, reflecting something profound about who that person is or what they've lived through.
No skill is ever identical, and none are as simple as they may look. With the Falna's blessing, even the most basic skill has the potential to grow into monstrous power.
— What?! — Hestia exclaimed, her eyes widening. Her mouth opened so wide it looked like she could swallow a whole egg.
She leaned closer to the paper, reading the skill's description as if she could hardly believe it.
'What a powerful skill... and this is only Rank I?! I don't even want to imagine what happens once it's maxed out...'
Tireless Explorer I
A skill that symbolizes the true spirit of adventure, of venturing forth and the desire to explore the unknown and it'sdangers. It values the journey and its meaning, not merely the final destination.
• Grants a small permanent increase to stamina.
• While inside the Dungeon, the bearer gradually recovers stamina, vitality, and mana.
• Also slightly increases natural resistance against mental fatigue, sleep, hunger, stress, loneliness, and other forms of psychological strain.
• This skill will be destroyed if the bearer loses the will to explore the world.
From the description, Hestia instantly understood the trigger behind the birth of that skill.
'So this is Luki's true desire... to explore the world. Maybe that's why an elf like him left his home. To see the unknown. To overcome challenges. This skill literally exists to ensure he can keep moving forward, without stopping for something as trivial as exhaustion.'
She lifted her eyes to look at him, not at the dirty, stubborn and broken adventurer, but at the Child she had taken in. For the first time, she felt like she was seeing the real Luki, without masks or disguises.
'But... if this skill needs to grow... then he'll have to go deeper. Further. Always more. And what if he gets hurt? What if his dream costs too much?'
Hestia smiled, small and worried.
— Hehe...
'Even with him right here, in front of me...I just can't stop worrying about him.'