So, after spending a bit longer than expected, Xien finally accomplished the feat of carving a path forward all by himself.
Astraea Familia's Dungeon expedition was over. Orario's people could finally breathe easy again—their protectors had returned.
Completed first Dungeon expedition: Interference +100
After this trip, everyone had more or less adapted to the new member. And honestly, the boost to the Familia was enormous—like rusted gears suddenly oiled smooth. Their coordination improved by a huge margin, and especially in terms of combat endurance, they practically leapt straight into the tier only the absolute top Familias could claim. It was hard to believe the difference had been brought about by just one person.
Naturally, the first thing you did after returning from an adventure was celebrate.
And so, after a unanimous vote, an all-hands mobilization took place at Astraea Familia's home base—Xien as head chef, everyone else helping.
Each person contributed however they could based on their strengths… though some people were simply hopeless. For example, a certain werewolf who could only cause destruction. In the end, there was nothing for it but to send her off to clean and straighten up the furniture.
The results were spectacular. At last, through everyone's combined effort, they produced a lavish spread worthy of an Eastern banquet. Xien's dazzling techniques left everyone stunned—no one had imagined simple ingredients could be handled like that, or turned into flavors that surpassed what the ingredients themselves should have been capable of.
"Let's eat!" xN
The food on the table almost seemed to glow faintly, making everyone's appetite flare. And because they'd personally helped prepare it, they understood all the more how difficult it was to end up with something like this.
When it came to squeezing maximum value out of ingredients, they were willing to call Xien the strongest.
"Ah… even if he weren't an adventurer, with cooking like this, Xien could open a restaurant and it'd be packed every day."
"Yeah. And being able to satisfy so many different races' tastes… that's incredible."
There were humans, elves, Amazons, beastfolk, and prums at the table. Getting everyone to find dishes they loved wasn't an easy task.
For instance—Ryuu, as an elf, ate light, clean vegetables. Meanwhile, Neze the werewolf went for the complete opposite: aggressively seasoned fish and heavy meat.
"Well, my homeland covers a pretty wide range," Xien said with a shrug, speaking with a hint of pride as he ate dessert. "Different regions having totally different food cultures is pretty normal."
When it came to tailoring flavors to suit the people present, he could do it effortlessly.
"Wow… then that must be a huge country…"
"And the people must be really kind, if they could raise someone like Xien…"
The captain's words were met with unanimous agreement. Everyone nodded in sync.
Xien smiled softly. Being praised by everyone made him genuinely happy.
The meal ended in laughter, and everyone pitched in to clean up afterward.
After that—
It was time to update everyone's status.
As the Familia's "head of household," Astraea always gave her children everything they wanted in moments like this, without holding back.
Because of the special nature of Xien's secret, he was left for last. He didn't mind; instead, he used the time to reflect on the gains and losses of their Dungeon expedition.
Inside the room—
"Xien's performance this time was especially outstanding. His growth is almost visible… thanks to him shining so brightly, everyone's motivation was fired up," Alise reported.
Having removed her top, covering the important parts with one hand, she exposed her back to her goddess as she recounted what happened in the Dungeon.
Who had stood out the most on this expedition?
There was no debate.
It was Xien.
Not only had he perfectly fulfilled every duty expected of him within the team, he also delivered surprise after surprise that shattered expectations. Especially that one strike against the Floor Boss—even as a frontline fighter, Alise couldn't help but admire its precision and lethality.
Who would ever guess that the person who launched such an attack… was a healer?
"I see," Astraea said gently. "Do you think he still has 'afterglow' left in him?"
She pricked her finger, divine script appearing as she smiled warmly and began updating her captain.
"You mean…"
"Mhm. I've gathered quite a lot of knowledge related to healers," Astraea said. "When do you think it'd be appropriate to give it to him?"
"Ahh… our little clan-brother is going to be busy," Alise said, sounding like she pitied him—yet her expression was full of amusement. Who would've thought she had a prankster side?
If he had talent as a healer, then it had to be used. The condensed experience and knowledge compiled by Orario's historical figures would surely help Xien a great deal on the road ahead.
Time passed quickly, and everyone finished updating their status.
Almost unbelievably, everyone's numbers had climbed significantly. And on the "great feat" side of things, two Level 2 members had nearly accumulated enough—once they pushed their stats to the limit, they could start considering a level-up.
That was practically unheard of—having the great feat ready before maxing ability values.
Everyone's limits were different. For example, a magic-focused mage might cap their magic at A (800–899), while their endurance might top out at E (400–499).
Reaching the stat cap meant you'd squeezed out the maximum growth possible at your current level. If you then leveled up after securing a great feat, you could ignite your greatest potential and gain the largest increase across all attributes.
Normally, accumulating stats was easier than accumulating great feats. Most adventurers who got "stuck" were stuck because they lacked great feats—some had already capped their stats, but didn't dare take risks, and so could never earn enough to level up.
But being "stuck" because of stats—like Astraea Familia was now—was rare.
It filled them with confidence, to the point they wanted to dive right back into the Dungeon and patch the rest up immediately.
The Level 3 members also had a decent amount accumulated. One more expedition, and they might meet the great-feat conditions needed for leveling up.
Finally—
It was Xien's turn.
Curiously, everyone else sat on a stool, but when it came to Xien, Astraea had him lie down on her bed… though he himself didn't realize what that implied at all.
"How was your first Dungeon expedition?" Astraea asked.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but when she spoke to Xien, her movements and her tone both seemed even gentler than usual.
"Um… how do I put it… I have a lot of feelings, but if I had to sum it up in one word—it was insanely cool."
"It was dangerous, but there were so many beautiful places… and getting stronger feels amazing…"
Listening to Xien excitedly ramble on, Astraea smiled—sweet enough to topple nations.
This child had truly overcome his fear. In this expedition, he was the one who gained the most.
At last, his status update was complete.
Xien
Level: 1
Strength: B722
Endurance: S963
Dexterity: C637
Agility: B701
Magic: E427
Development Abilities: None
Magic: Breath of Abundance, One Thought—God and Demon
Skills: Firelight Revealed, Tenacious Body, Pharmacology Mastery
His growth speed was terrifying.
And even more eye-catching—despite already being at S, his endurance still didn't feel like it had reached its limit. It looked like he truly might break through that "theoretical" maximum.
Seeing reality match her expectations, Astraea's smile brightened even more.
Don't be fooled by her usual gentle expression—she had her pride too. Being pressed down by Zeus and Hera, unable to fully pursue the justice in her heart, forced to swallow anger when faced with unfairness due to lack of strength… it was impossible for her to have no negative emotions at all.
So now that an opportunity sat in front of her—
How could she not seize it?
Don't call it "scheming." To put it bluntly, "scheming" requires value. Without value, he wouldn't even have the chance to enter the gods' field of view.
After all—if he had no value, he would probably have died already in some dark corner.
This world wasn't gentle.
Back to the point: even if Astraea still considered him weak, that was fine. With her and with Astraea Familia, they could still shelter him in a relatively safe environment for growth.
And one day, this child would awaken the true justice within his heart.
"Xien, you've already accumulated enough great feats," Astraea said softly. "But your ability values haven't reached their limit yet. Do you want to level up?"
"How could I?" Xien replied immediately. "Lady Astraea—of course I have to reach the limit first."
Seeing his status window filled him with a deep sense of accomplishment—but he still made his stance clear. Solid fundamentals were practically carved into his bones. Now that he knew he could keep unlocking potential this way, how could he choose to level up so easily?
Seeing that big S on the endurance line, Xien nodded emphatically. No wonder he'd been exhausted like a dead dog so many times—his stamina had truly been tempered.
But then he noticed the extra skill on the skill list, and asked—confused, yet thrilled:
"Goddess…?"
"Mhm. That's right," Astraea said. "It's a skill you awakened yourself."
She chose to be honest—there was no need to hide it anymore. Now that he'd conquered his fear, he needed to understand himself fully and step into the next stage. There was nothing left to hesitate over.
After nurturing so many children, she understood these things well.
"Yes!" Xien beamed.
He couldn't help it. He could exchange for abilities, sure—but something awakened by himself was different. It was recognition. Proof.
And this skill carried special meaning to him.
Did its appearance mean… that he, too, might become that one-in-ten-thousand "him"?
"Keep going," Astraea said warmly. "That day won't be far."
With the goddess's blessing, Xien returned to his room.
"Orange Cat—allocate points. Pull up what's most suitable for me right now."
"Understood, meow."
With the Interference from earlier—and the belated value from ties to the Hephaestus Familia—his savings surged to a new peak:
200 points.
After discussing with Orange Cat, he finally selected a new ability from the overwhelming catalog—one that suited him perfectly at this stage:
Sharingan (Single Tomoe) — Cost: 200 Interference
Why choose it?
Because it felt like the greatest immediate boost.
He wasn't lacking offensive methods. Fighting enemies around his level was easy.
But against higher-level opponents, a familiar problem kept happening:
He'd get hit before he even realized it.
The Sharingan's dynamic vision—its ability to observe and see through movement—would solve that problem neatly. Not to mention the later stages: two- and three-tomoe copying and hypnosis, all absurdly powerful abilities.
And according to Orange Cat, the ability was extremely cost-effective. Up to the three-tomoe stage, he could upgrade it through the original method. If he didn't want to go through intense emotional shocks to reach Mangekyō and beyond, he could just purchase upgrades directly later.
Those later tiers would be expensive—but for now, a single tomoe was more than enough. Reaching three tomoe should also be feasible.
As for what came later… that could wait.
What mattered was the present.
So after redeeming it, Xien activated those cool new eyes immediately and grabbed a small mirror to admire himself.
His brownish eyes turned red. A single black tomoe appeared around the iris—slightly asymmetrical, but undeniably stylish, adding a cold, sharp edge to his aura.
He could feel the difference too.
His vision had become far sharper—when he focused, he could see dust floating in the air.
And there was a distinct sensation of time "slowing down."
Exactly what he'd hoped for.
Orange Cat also assured him: system products were premium. This power was concentrated in his eyes—no other physical changes.
He struck a few poses in the mirror and indulged in some shameless self-admiration.
Honestly… it really was cool.
Now the only question was whether he could pull off the ultimate pose…
With his strength upgraded to a new qualitative level, once the chuuni wave passed, Xien went to sleep—brimming with confidence.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Xien tidied up and prepared to head to the training ground as usual—
But when he opened the door, a figure stood there, blocking his path.
....
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