Morning came before sunlight had truly reached the earth—the sky still dim and gray.
Gude quietly left the still-sleeping Hestia behind and stepped out onto the street.
At this hour, only a sparse handful of people passed by. Compared to last night's bustle, the city felt almost empty.
"Um… Mister Adventurer, are you looking for a place to eat?"
That familiar gentle voice reached him. Gude turned—and as expected, it was Syr.
His attitude toward her last night had been plenty cold, yet when she saw him again, she still wore the same mild warmth.
Unfortunately for her, Gude was raring to go. He wanted to solve breakfast as fast as possible, then dive straight back into the Dungeon to keep leveling himself up—so, once again, the timing was bad.
That said, he'd been planning to eat at "The Hostess of Fertility" anyway, and Syr worked there, so he simply went along with it.
"That's right. Then, Miss Waitress—please get me a breakfast that's simple, but nutritious."
"Ah… of course. But you look like you're in a rush. I know this might delay you, but… beginners entering the Dungeon for the first time often get overly excited. And when excitement goes too far, it tends to lead to very bad outcomes."
Syr had seen many rookies come out of the Dungeon carrying scars that never healed—whether on the body or the heart. Her tone carried genuine concern.
But Gude also understood what was underneath it: the real goal was to build familiarity, to guide the conversation and draw him closer.
"Thanks for your concern. But please hurry and prepare my breakfast—I'm in a rush to get to the Dungeon."
He was only Level 1. If he wanted to catch up to the Sword Princess, he couldn't afford to waste even a single day—so he cut off the direction of the conversation cleanly.
Sure, whether sincere or calculated, Syr's words still qualified as good advice.
But honestly… did everyone in Orario have too much free time? Why did every single person talk so much?
Maybe she'd already adapted to his bluntness, because Syr didn't seem offended. Instead, she reached into the pleated pocket of her apron and pulled out a bento box—not even as big as his palm—then held it right up in front of him until it nearly filled his entire field of view.
It was carefully wrapped in a handkerchief and tied with a pretty bow.
At that distance, Gude could clearly smell the same fresh fragrance Syr always wore.
"If you're that busy, then please take my bento and eat it on the road. Don't worry about me—I can eat staff meals at the shop. But in exchange… once you accept it, you have to come eat here at lunch and dinner too, okay?"
Like she was afraid he'd interrupt again, Syr dumped everything out in one breath. Only after she'd delivered all her "kindness" did she tack on, almost as an afterthought:
"Oh—right. My name is Syr Flova. You can call me Syr."
Gude stared at the delicate bento in her hands and said nothing.
It was… a little too deliberate.
Still, even deliberate thoughtfulness was convenient.
There was just one problem.
"…Too small."
"Huh? What did you say? Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it?"
Syr leaned her head out from behind the bento box, eyes blinking in confusion—a slightly mischievous look that was undeniably cute.
Gude, however, didn't buy it. He simply stated his honest impression:
"I said the bento box is way too small…! This isn't nearly enough food for me. Miss Syr, thank you for the offer—but please prepare me a breakfast that's five times this amount."
After sincerely thanking her, Gude politely refused, handed the bento back, then walked into "The Hostess of Fertility" and ordered a proper nutritious breakfast from Mama Mia.
Syr, utterly blindsided by the situation, froze in place with the bento still in her hands for three full seconds. Then she puffed out her cheeks slightly, wore a clearly dissatisfied expression, and hurried back inside to her post.
Mama Mia's food truly did live up to its reputation—big portions, filling, and undeniably excellent.
After that, Gude demolished his breakfast, left the tavern satisfied, and headed for the Dungeon.
Somewhere in a dim corner passage, his coat hem fluttered without any wind.
A monster shaped like a human child shot out of the shadows.
A goblin.
A sudden ambush was about as intelligent as it got.
Against something at that level, Gude slipped aside in a single beat, then swung his sword backhanded—cleanly severing its thin neck. With a shriek, the goblin crumbled into ash, its warm body collapsing into nothing but a cold magic stone on the floor.
But Gude didn't rush to pick it up.
He reversed his grip, smoothly adjusted the blade's position, and tightened his hold.
As that motion ended, cracks opened in the Dungeon's walls and floor—spaced in a staggered pattern. Multiple pairs of hands thrust out of the fissures, and monsters pulled themselves free as if tearing through eggshells.
Over a dozen Level 1, H-ranked monsters blocked the corridor ahead.
Gude simply walked toward them as if out for a casual stroll.
The low-intelligence creatures didn't understand what this human meant. All they sensed was that food had walked right up to their mouths.
Instinct screamed at them to rip him apart and chew.
So they lunged—full of momentum.
Too bad.
To Gude, their attacks looked like a stop-motion animation. Observation Haki had already read their movements before they even began.
He tilted his body slightly to avoid a pounce, drove his sword straight into a monster's heart, pulled it free—then pivoted, and the returning slash took the neck of the monster behind him.
His actions linked seamlessly, flowing like water.
Every strike turned a monster into ash and left behind another magic stone.
From the outside, it almost looked like the monsters were throwing themselves onto his blade on purpose.
He never slowed his walking pace.
The monsters simply decreased… until the last one dissolved into ash—and at that exact moment, Gude sheathed his sword at his waist.
That scene was witnessed in full by a party arriving from a neighboring passage.
And what a coincidence.
It was the Loki Familia's Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, along with her companions—the Amazon sisters, and two elves: one young, one older.
"Ooh~~ Nice!" said the younger of the Amazon sisters—Tiona Hiryute—mouth slightly open, clapping in admiration.
She was about the same height as Ais, maybe even a bit slimmer. Her outfit was light and revealing, her sun-kissed skin looking strong and healthy.
But her reaction was casual, like a spectator enjoying a fun moment in a play—she didn't seem to expect any response from the person on stage.
Beside her, the older elf—Loki Familia's vice-captain, Riveria Ljos Alf—smiled and nodded at Gude, then led the party onward without stopping.
Tiona, walking last, waved at him as she left. Gude answered with a nod.
As they disappeared into the corridor, their voices drifted back through the air—straight into Gude's ears.
"Lefiya, you need to trust your teammates. When you're fighting and your allies create the opening for you to chant, don't hesitate or worry. In battle, confusion and hesitation decide fate."
"Yes…"
"It's okay, Lefiya. With your talent, you'll get there soon. By the way, Ais—why aren't you saying anything? You're always quiet, sure, but… it feels like you're thinking about something."
"N-no… it's nothing…"
"Come on, come on—everyone's friends. Don't hide it, tell us~"
"…That sword user from earlier. Yesterday at noon I saw him register as an adventurer at the Guild for the first time. And then… still yesterday, after I finished fighting monsters and was heading back, I saw him again on the first floor in the afternoon. That was his first time entering the Dungeon…"
"Huh!? Wait—Ais, are you saying he's only on his second day in the Dungeon, and he can already handle a scene like that alone!?"
"Yes."
"That's incredible… no wonder you remembered him."
"Mm." (Why is he getting strong so fast…? If I get the chance, I should ask him how he's doing it…)
…
Their voices faded into the distance.
Only then did Gude turn back and pick up the magic stones on the ground.
It wasn't that he'd been trying to eavesdrop.
In the Dungeon, he couldn't relax. Observation Haki had to stay passively active as a constant warning system—so he'd "accidentally" heard their conversation.
Call it force majeure.
Still…
He hadn't expected the Sword Princess to remember him.
She was Orario's legend of fastest leveling—and she'd held that record for eight years.
That was a long time.
No—more than long.
It was too long.
Gude's eyes narrowed, and he continued deeper into the labyrinth…
A full day had passed since Gude first entered the Dungeon. At noon he'd gone back above ground to eat and restore stamina.
Over that day, he studied the feedback from his stat increases and started forming a working analysis.
And he found specialized ways to raise specific attributes.
If he traded blows head-on—clashing directly with monsters—his Strength rose the most.
If he deliberately took punches, his Endurance increased more.
If he used technique-heavy evasion and counterattacks—precise manipulation and flexible swordplay—his Dexterity and Agility rose significantly.
Based on those observations and practical testing, Gude built the most efficient combat pattern for raw growth speed.
If a monster ambushed him: he used it to train reaction speed—boosting Dexterity and Agility.
If the monster's attack power was low: he took a few hits before countering—boosting Endurance.
If it was a slower medium monster: he went into direct exchanges—boosting Strength.
Through that process, he refined his fighting style again and again, and his use of Observation Haki grew smoother and more natural.
All of his stats except Magic rose to 120, escaping the "I" range and entering "H."
The growth speed was genuinely satisfying.
Keeping the four physical stats aligned wasn't accidental—it was deliberate. He'd found that balancing them improved bodily coordination overall.
At his current level, with Observation Haki, he could already move through the 4th floor with casual ease.
As for Magic… to raise it, he first needed to awaken an actual spell. That wasn't something he could force.
But by now, his body was approaching its limit. He abandoned the idea of grinding further and used his remaining stamina to return to the Guild hall above ground.
He'd killed enough monsters today. Two drops had even appeared mid-run—low-level drops, but still worth more than small magic stones.
Combined with the stones, he exchanged everything with Eina, receiving 38,000 valis—after paying off part of his debt, of course.
This time Eina didn't say much. Before he left, she handed him a set of materials on the upper Dungeon—floors 1 through 12—covering the environment and monster ecology.
And she warned him to read it thoroughly. She'd quiz him at random later.
"A strict—and responsible—advisor."
Still, the information genuinely helped. And Eina's concern didn't feel calculated the way Syr's did. There was no sense of performance behind it.
When I get the chance, I should treat her to a good meal as thanks.
…
"Did you hear? Loki Familia is preparing for their second expedition. Destination: an unexplored floor—Floor 59!"
"That's deeper than the Deep Floors. Without a fully equipped team of multiple first-class adventurers, you can't even reach that far."
"So us Level 2 nobodies shouldn't even be talking about it. Let's talk about going to the Pleasure Quarter later and playing with some Amazon girls instead, hehehe—"
"You're going for Amazons? You sure it's you 'playing' them? It's the Amazons playing you—and you'll still have to pay your valis! Hahahaha—!"
"Shut up! I like it! Mind your business!?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Night fell. Under the magic-stone lamps by the roadside, rough adventurers' drunken talk spilled from a table.
Loki Familia's second expedition starting meant only one thing:
This world was about to enter the "main story."
Which also meant that, somewhere out there, he might run into a "frightened rabbit."
That thought—maybe because he'd been dwelling on it—seemed to get an answer.
Not long after, past the bustling street, in a side alley, Gude spotted a boy of about fourteen slumped against the wall, sitting on the ground with a defeated look.
Short white hair.
Travel-ready but rustic clothing—the kind a farm boy from the countryside might wear.
And crimson eyes—nearly the color of blood—that should have looked intimidating, yet held no savagery at all.
Only worry and confusion.
"Hello."
Gude greeted him simply and sat down beside him.
"Huh…? You are…?"
The boy instinctively pulled his arms in tighter and shifted away slightly. He seemed afraid of the unfamiliar city—and of unfamiliar people.
But the politeness drilled into him since childhood, plus his confusion, still made him ask.
"My name is Gude. I'm a member of the Hestia Familia—and an adventurer."
"Y-yes… I see…"
At the words Familia and adventurer, the boy's expression clearly stirred—then quickly sank again, as if remembering what he'd been through over the past few days.
"You look like this city disappointed you. Don't deny it—I can read those emotions on you. I've been through something similar myself."
"I… I don't even know. Whether it's disappointment or… I—"
"—Guh…!"
His stomach growled, loudly and shamelessly, cutting him off at the worst possible moment.
The unexpected empathy struck his sore spot perfectly, igniting both emotion and the urge to speak… but apparently his hunger protested even harder.
"S-sorry…!"
The boy flushed bright red. To him, it was rude—undignified.
"Come on. I'll buy you a meal."
Gude didn't laugh at him. He offered sincerely.
And the boy—already at a loss—couldn't quite reject the offer, so he ended up half-dragged, half-led to The Hostess of Fertility.
…
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