As I passed through the Dungeon entrance, the familiar noise and bustle of Orario greeted me.
The air on the surface, which I was breathing again after several days, felt warm and peaceful beyond comparison with the Dungeon’s stale atmosphere.
I squinted for a moment at the sunlight I was seeing again after days away, then quickly picked up my pace.
My first stop was the Guild.
After several days of hunting, my backpack was already on the verge of bursting.
When I stepped inside, the Guild’s usual busy atmosphere welcomed me.
I made my way familiarly to the exchange counter.
“Ah...! Nia-sama!”
Luna spotted me and perked up her rabbit ears in surprise.
Her eyes were slightly red.
“You’re safe! You haven’t shown up at all for days, so I was worried something had happened!”
She looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
Ever since I became a Record Holder, it seemed she had been looking after me not just as the staff member in charge of me, but personally as well.
“I’m sorry for making you worry. As you can see, I’m fine.”
To hide my embarrassment, I set the heavy backpack right on top of the counter.
“I’d like to exchange these.”
Luna stared at me blankly for a moment at my words, then quickly came to her senses and opened the bag.
When she saw the Magic Stones of Middle Floors monsters spilling out of it, her eyes went wide.
“Y-you got all of this by yourself...?”
“Yes.”
She looked at me as if she had temporarily lost the ability to speak, then hurriedly called over her coworkers and began appraising the Magic Stones.
A short while later, she gave me the final amount with an expression of complete disbelief.
“Altogether... 2.8 million valis. Nia-sama, that’s incredible!”
She looked at me with eyes full of admiration and awe.
Wow, I really made a lot...
If I remember right, I once read somewhere that a Loki Familia executive could make around 6 million valis in a day by grinding the Upper Floors and Middle Floors hard...
So I’d earned almost half of that, hadn’t I?
Of course, strictly speaking, I’d spent about five days on it...
Still, I took my now-plump money pouch and left the Guild.
It was time to go home.
To the place where the goddess was waiting for me.
When I opened the mansion door and stepped inside, the smell of freshly baked bread greeted me along with a familiar voice.
“Nia! You’re safe!”
Goddess Istarot rushed out from the kitchen and threw herself straight into my arms.
Her body was trembling faintly.
“I was worried...! You didn’t come back for days, so I thought something terrible had happened...”
I patted her back and tried to reassure her.
“I’m sorry, Goddess. Something came up in the middle, so I was delayed.”
“Something? What happened?”
I sat her down on the sofa and carefully explained everything that had happened on this expedition.
My first hunt in the Middle Floors, the sudden appearance of Goliath, losing my weapons and fleeing to the 18th Floor, and the days I spent in Rivira.
When I finished, she took my hand tightly, her face pale.
“Good heavens... To think you went through something so dangerous...! You’re not hurt, are you? Let me see.”
She examined every inch of my body, looking heartbroken over even the smallest scratch.
Her sincere concern made it feel as if all the exhaustion and humiliation I’d suffered in the Dungeon were melting away like snow.
“I’m fine, Goddess. Thanks to this, I got some good experience.”
I grinned and showed her the money pouch containing the fruits of this expedition.
She was briefly surprised by the weight of the pouch, but then she shook her head and hugged me again.
“Money doesn’t matter. Just coming back safely is enough for me.”
At her warm words, something in my chest swelled.
That evening, we ate dinner together for the first time in a while.
The warm stew and freshly baked bread she had made herself were more delicious than any feast of mountains and seas.
After the meal, I asked her to update my Status.
“Of course. I’m curious how much you’ve grown.”
I lay face-down on the bed as I’d done before.
The warm, ticklish sensation spreading across my back.
A moment later, Goddess Istarot’s voice, tinged with surprise, reached my ears.
────────────────
Nia
Race: Pallum
LV2
Strength I 0 → G 288
Endurance I 0 → G 254
Agility I 0 → F 311
Technique I 0 → F 378
Magic I 0 → F 355
Development Ability
Genius I
[Magic]
[Enchant]
• Chanting style: “Let fate be bestowed.”
• Enchantment magic
• Permanently grants random effects to equipment
• By consuming additional Mind, a desired effect can be granted
• By consuming additional Mind, the effect tier can be increased
[Skill]
[Master of Arms]
• Dominates weapons
────────────────
“Goodness... Nia! You’ve grown this much in just a few days!”
Goddess Istarot was stunned.
I couldn’t help but be shocked myself when I saw the numbers written on the parchment.
Every stat had shot straight up into the G and F ranks in one go.
In particular, Technique, Magic, and Agility were all approaching the upper-middle range of F rank.
My desperate fight with Goliath, the training in Rivira, and the process of slaughtering Middle Floors monsters on the way back must have granted me an enormous amount of Excelia.
“At this rate... you’ll really reach Level 3 before long.”
Goddess Istarot whispered in an emotional voice.
I silently nodded.
My growth really does seem weirdly fast...
I’m not even carrying some protagonist-only growth acceleration Skill or anything...
Well... if it’s good, it’s good.
“But Nia, don’t rush yourself too much. As I’ve always said, your safety comes first.”
“I know, Goddess.”
I smiled to reassure her.
My body and mind were exhausted after several days of expedition, but I was already planning to head back into the Dungeon tomorrow.
Honestly, I did want to grow quickly, and I needed to prepare for danger in advance.
Goddess Istarot spoke carefully.
“Nia, how about taking a day off tomorrow?”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve been through so much these past few days. And... there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
Someone she wanted to introduce me to?
I looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Our Familia consisted of just me and the goddess.
The only people she knew in the lower world were probably the other gods she sometimes met at the gods’ gathering, the Denatus.
“Who is it?”
“Fufu, you’ll know when you meet them. They’ll be someone you truly need.”
She gave me a meaningful smile and refused to explain further.
I was curious, but I figured she must have a reason for saying it that way.
“Understood. Then I’ll take tomorrow off.”
I accepted her suggestion.
“Fufu... then come here!”
Whoosh───!
“I was so lonely while you were gone!”
“Mmmph...!”
My face was buried in the goddess’s chest, making it hard to breathe.
It’s nice...! Really nice...! Goddess, I’m running out of oxygen...
It looked like it was going to be a long, sleepless night for me...
Nia is really arrogant, and he still is. I hope he will suffer in the future so that he will learn. In this encounter he doesn't even learn to plan for an escape route.