Day 6.
Late at night.
Hestia Familia, underground basement.
I was lying at the edge of the bed, Lady Hestia sitting at my back.
Making my butt her personal seat.
"You have passed the novice period. Kael!"
Said Lady Hestia while upgrading my falna.
"So can I go to floor 3 now? "
I asked
Honestly, I am ready for floor 3.
But because of the horned ant, Miss Eina strongly stopped me from going deeper into the floors.
"You are long since fine to go to floor 3, but you don't have teammates to look for your back. So no!!!"
Lady Hestia refuses me strongly.
Joining an adventurer party, huh!
Well, that would be difficult.
Horned ant, you can even say they are the younger brother of the killer ant found on floor 7.
They are often the first obstacle that rookies face.
Like normal ants, they also like to build their colonies.
For a solo adventurer like me, if I am not careful, I can be surrounded by them without knowing when.
That's why neither Miss Eina nor Lady Hestia let me go to floor 3 without joining an adventurer party.
"It's done, here you go"
She transcribes my falna on the paper and handed to me.
Taking a paper sheet from Lady Hestia's hands. I set out to read it while Lady Hestia prepares the food.
Name: Kael Verdan
Familia: Hestia Familia
Level: 1
Strength:
H 88 → G 241
Endurance:
G 142 → F 318
Dexterity:
H 96 → G 227
Agility:
G 135 → F 351
Magic:
I 15 → H 84
My Endurance and Agility have gone up to F huh?
Well, I am often injured and have to run away because I am surrounded by monsters.
In a way, Miss Eina and Lady Hestia are right about stopping me from going deeper into the floors.
"Lady Hestia, what about skills and traits you were talking about before?"
I asked her in confusion while looking at the empty skill column.
"Oh, that trait speeds up your recovery and skill is not activated yet."
She replied.
"I see... "
I replied to her while standing up, and putting on my shirt.
Unbeknownst to me, Lady Hestia spoke to herself, her voice tinted with guilt,[1]
"I don't want to hide it from you but I also don't want you to get close to other girls"
"Are you saying something? Lady Hestia "
Hearing her faint voice, I asked.
"I am saying, you should ask your advisor to come to the hostess of fertility tomorrow. We are going to celebrate your graduation from rookies period!!"
"My celebration? Okay "
Miss Eina?
Well, she did help me a lot.
After day 4, she kept advising about the dungeon, what posture use to attack, when to retreat and when to advance.
One of the reasons for my progress is also her advice.
After that day, my income from the dungeon also started to go up.
But will she come after I ask?
Usually, she is quite busy with her work, not to mention. That many adventurers are her admirers.
———
The next day.
At the adventurer's guild's private room.
"celebration? Today afternoon or noon? "
With her right palm cradling her cheek and her left hand supporting her elbow, Miss Eina tilted her head—her pose a classic picture of deep evaluation as she asked her question.
"Yes! Lady Hestia thought about going to the Hostess of Fertility to celebrate. Are you free in the afternoon? "
I asked her. We are sitting opposite each other. With a table between us.
" Mmm. Then I will meet you at Hostess of fertility at 6 pm"
My lips lifted in a slight smile as I replied to her:
"I meet you at Hostess of Fertility in the afternoon. Then, Miss Eina. I will be heading off"
Getting up to my feet, I replied to her and left the reception room.
"Take care!!! Meet you in the afternoon "
Miss Eina replied while picking up paper sheets on the table. Her face hold soft smile.
———
[Third-person pov ]
Somewhere on floor 2 inside the dungeon.
Kael was surrounded by a pack of - a total of 6 - kobolds.
Small, beady eyes watched from every shadow as the pack tightened its noose around him.
"haaa"
Dodge 2 kobolds attacking from the front, Kael uses one of the kobolds' shoulders to jump at the kobold hidden in the ceiling - while stabbing through his face with his sword held in reverse-grip.
Kabold on the ceiling attacked Kael, who was mid-air, but Kael had already got used to aerial combat in this one week.
"Take this, you monster "
Clutching a dagger - that was sheathed on his thigh.
Using all his might, Kael throws the dagger in his hand at the kobold's chest.
Swish.
"Ughhh!"
Kabold cries out in pain.
The blade of his dagger slices through a kobold jumping from the ceiling.
Before the kobold's body collapsed in smoke, Kael used it to gain support in mid-air so he could jump to the other side, behind the kobolds that surrounded him.
Without stopping for a moment, Kael launched himself at the back of the nearby kobold who hadn't turned around.
His blade pierced through his chest from behind.
Kael didn't stop, using the body of a kobold that was stuck in his blade as his shield as two kobolds with their claws attacked him.
Kabold, stuck in the sword, collapsed in smoke. The two kobolds who attacked him didn't have time to withdraw their half-swinging claws; their bodies were completely unguarded.
Kael doesn't miss this chance and cuts their necks in a horizontal Slash.
Slice.
Taking a step back as the kobold's claws nearly slice his face.
Kael thrust his sword through his neck, slicing upward and splitting the kobold's dog-like face in two.
" haaa. That would be enough for today"
Kael said while sheathing his sword in his belt on waist.
Picking 6 magic stones and monsters' drops
—kobold nails on the ground.
Storing all of it in his backpack, Kael takes out a water bottle to quench his thirst.
Gulp. Gulp. Haaaa
Finally alive.
Kael thought to himself as he stood up.
Should I go to floor 3?
No, I have to go back before the afternoon.
Kael thought about going to floor 3 many times before.
If this goes on, my growth rate will slow down!
[1] Don't worry, after the major fight on floor 3, Hestia will tell him the truth. The first climax of arc 1 is coming