The next morning, sunlight filtered through the broken windows of the old church that served as the Hestia Familia home.
Naruto woke up on a worn-out mattress on the floor, stretching his arms with a big yawn. His body felt surprisingly light despite yesterday's fight. He looked at his back in the cracked mirror — the Falna was still there, glowing faintly with golden hieroglyphs.
"Man… this feels weird. Like I got a tattoo from a goddess," he muttered.
"Breakfast is ready!" Hestia's cheerful voice echoed from the small kitchen area.
Naruto walked over to find Bell already sitting at the tiny table, wearing his usual adventurer gear. Hestia had made potato stew and some bread. It wasn't much, but the goddess looked proud.
"Eat up! You need energy for today," Hestia said, puffing her chest.
Naruto took one bite and his eyes widened.
"Uwaah! This is delicious! But… it's missing something." He grinned. "When we get money, I'm opening a ramen shop! Believe it!"
Bell tilted his head. "Ramen? What's that?"
"You'll see, kid. It's the food of the gods!"
After breakfast, Hestia sat them both down seriously.
"Listen carefully. Today you two are going into the Dungeon together. Naruto, even with your crazy stats, you're still Level 1. The Dungeon is dangerous. Monsters get stronger the deeper you go. And most importantly… you need to earn money. We're broke."
Bell nodded. "I'll protect him, Goddess."
Naruto laughed and ruffled Bell's white hair. "Oi oi, who's protecting who? I'll watch your back, Bell. We're familia now. That means we fight together."
Hestia gave them a small pouch with a few potions and reminded them to return before sunset.
Guild Headquarters – Babel Tower
The streets of Orario were alive with adventurers of every race. Elves, dwarves, Amazons, and humans all heading toward the massive white tower in the center of the city.
Naruto walked with wide eyes, taking everything in.
"Woah… this place is even crazier than the Hidden Leaf Village! Look at that cat girl! And those muscles on that dwarf!"
Bell smiled awkwardly. "Try not to stare too much… people will think you're new."
"I am new!"
At the Guild counter, a beautiful elf with long golden hair and pointy ears greeted them. Her name tag read "Eina Tulle".
"Bell Cranel… and?" She looked at Naruto curiously.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Hestia Familia," Naruto said with a bright smile.
Eina checked her papers. When she saw Naruto's status sheet that Hestia had submitted earlier, her eyes nearly popped out.
"SSS… SSS… SSS?!" she whispered in shock. "This can't be right. Even top adventurers don't start with stats like this!"
Naruto scratched his cheek. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
Eina took a deep breath and gave them beginner advice, maps of the first five floors, and warned them about the Minotaur on Floor 1 that sometimes appears.
As they left the Guild, Bell asked quietly:
"Naruto-san… why are your stats so high? Did you fight a lot in your old world?"
Naruto's smile softened a bit.
"Yeah… I fought a lot. Lost a lot too. But I never gave up. That's why I'm here, I guess."
Dungeon – Floor 1
The moment they stepped into the Dungeon, the air changed. The walls were made of the same blue crystals Naruto had seen yesterday. The ground felt alive.
A group of goblins appeared almost immediately — five of them, armed with crude weapons.
Bell drew his knife, ready to fight.
But Naruto stepped forward.
"Let me try something. Shadow Multiplication!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Ten shadow clones appeared. Each one charged a goblin with taijutsu.
In less than twenty seconds, all goblins were defeated, leaving behind small magic stones.
Bell stood there with his mouth open.
"That… that's not magic. That's… insane! How many can you make?"
Naruto dispelled the clones and felt the drain. "In my old world, hundreds. Here… maybe thirty or forty max before I get tired. This Falna thing is still new to me."
They continued deeper.
On Floor 2, they encountered a pack of Kobolds. Naruto taught Bell how to work as a team — clones distracting while Bell finished them with precise strikes.
"You're fast, Bell! But you hesitate sometimes. Don't think too much. Just trust your instincts!"
Bell nodded, his eyes burning with determination. He was learning at an incredible speed just by watching Naruto.
By Floor 4, they had collected a decent amount of magic stones. Naruto was having the time of his life — laughing, shouting "Dattebayo!" every time he landed a Rasengan (which he renamed "Spiral Strike" in front of Bell).
But then…
A loud roar shook the floor.
From a side tunnel, a giant Minotaur — much bigger than the ones from yesterday — charged at them. Its horns were cracked, and it looked furious. It was the irregular monster Eina had warned them about.
"Bell! Stay back!" Naruto shouted.
The Minotaur swung its massive axe. Naruto created clones to distract it, but the monster was smarter than the others. It smashed through three clones in one swing.
Naruto's eyes turned serious.
"Fine… you want real power?"
He gathered chakra in his right hand. A bigger, denser Rasengan formed, spinning violently with a loud humming sound.
"Big Spiral Destruction!"
He leaped high and slammed the jutsu directly into the Minotaur's chest.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion lit up the entire floor. The Minotaur was blown apart, leaving a huge magic stone and smoke.
Naruto landed, breathing a bit heavier.
Bell ran up to him. "That was amazing! But… are you okay? You look tired."
"Yeah… this world is limiting my chakra. I need to get stronger the 'Dungeon way' too."
As they were collecting the loot, they heard footsteps behind them.
A group of adventurers from another familia appeared — five people, all Level 2. Their leader, a tall man with a scar on his face, smirked when he saw the huge magic stone.
"Hey rabbit boy and blond idiot. Hand over that stone. We saw it first."
Bell stepped forward nervously. "That's not true! We killed it!"
The man laughed. "Strength rules in the Dungeon, kid. Hand it over or—"
He didn't finish.
Naruto appeared in front of him instantly, eyes cold.
"Touch my familia member… and I'll break you."
The pressure coming from Naruto made the entire group freeze. Even though he was Level 1, something about him terrified them.
The scarred man swallowed. "Tch… whatever. Let's go."
They left quickly.
Bell looked at Naruto with admiration and a bit of fear.
"Naruto-san… you're really strong."
Naruto smiled and put his arm around Bell's shoulder.
"We're family, Bell. No one messes with the Hestia Familia while I'm here. Dattebayo!"
Evening – Back at the Church
Hestia was waiting anxiously. When she saw the big bag of magic stones they brought, she jumped with joy.
"We can eat meat tonight!!"
While Hestia was cooking, Bell and Naruto sat outside.
"Hey Naruto-san… what do you want to do in Orario?" Bell asked.
Naruto looked up at the night sky and the lights of the city.
"I want to protect my new family. Make friends. Eat good ramen. And maybe… find a way to see my old friends again one day."
He grinned.
"But for now? Let's get stronger together. I feel like this Dungeon is hiding a lot of strong people. I can't wait to meet them!"
Unbeknownst to them, on the upper floors, rumors were already spreading.
A blond adventurer who creates clones and uses spinning blue magic…
A certain Sword Princess training on Floor 18 heard the rumors from her Loki Familia members.
And a certain silver-haired goddess with beautiful eyes smiled mysteriously in her temple.
The fox's arrival was no longer a secret.