After more than ten days of nonstop travel, this was the first time Bell didn't have to wake up early—he could just keep sleeping.
Morning sunlight poured into the room, the bright rays hitting his face directly. The orange-yellow glow made it hard to keep his eyes shut, and he instinctively raised his hand to block it. But instead of open air, he felt something soft restraining him.
That made Bell's mind instantly flash with a giant question mark.
Squinting against the light, he forced his eyes open, needing several seconds to adjust. Once he could see clearly, he turned his head to check his arm.
"Hestia... Goddess?"
Bell stared in shock at Hestia, who was hugging his arm in her sleep, curled up right beside him. His gaze reflexively scanned over her. She wasn't covered by a blanket—almost her entire body was pressed against his. The soft sensation on his arm came from Hestia's indescribably generous chest.
'So big.'
Even though Bell already knew Hestia had an amazing figure, he still couldn't help but admire it inwardly. But he carefully and gently pulled his arm free.
It wasn't that he didn't want to enjoy the moment—honestly, a big part of him wanted to bury himself in her chest and fully experience that softness.
But this wasn't the time.
And it definitely wasn't the priority right now.
Strength was the foundation for fulfilling his wishes. Any kind of indulgent thought had to be backed by power. That was the cold, hard truth. If he wanted to earn the favor of a goddess, he needed to display qualities and abilities even a deity would covet. Without that, any so-called "wish" was just wishful thinking.
Taking a deep breath, Bell quietly got up from the sofa. Still, the movement was enough to stir Hestia from her sleep.
"Bell? You're up already?"
Normally, Hestia never woke this early. She was still groggy, her eyes barely open, as if she might doze off again any second. Seeing her like that, Bell gave a slight shake of his head.
"Goddess-sama, I was thinking I'd head to the Dungeon early."
That sentence snapped Hestia wide awake. She'd just warned Bell yesterday about how dangerous the Dungeon was, and now here he was, ready to charge in first thing the next morning. It felt way too sudden.
"You're going already?"
"I understand your concern, Goddess-sama. But the Dungeon is something I have to face. Besides, I'm not planning to go deep. I know I'm not strong enough yet."
Bell understood why she was worried, but he also knew his limits. He was fully aware that he was just a total rookie—not even on par with most beginners who had actually entered the Dungeon before. There was no way someone like him would dive into the deeper floors.
"This time, I just want to get a feel for the Dungeon—see what it's like. I'll stick to the first floor and get a taste of what fighting monsters is like."
The first floor was where most new adventurers gathered. It was specifically designed for them to get their bearings and build up experience. The deeper one went, the more dangerous it got—conversely, the closer to the surface, the safer it was.
That's exactly what the first floor was for.
Even so, Hestia couldn't shake the worry in her heart.
The Dungeon was inherently unpredictable, with a high frequency of unexpected incidents. That much was obvious from the fact that it claimed lives every single day. For the adventurers entering it, safety was never guaranteed.
Still, Hestia knew how much Bell longed for power—how badly he wanted to grow stronger. He wasn't going to back down from going into the Dungeon. Those who sought power often held a level of determination that didn't falter in the face of danger. If Bell could be dissuaded that easily, then he never would have made it to this city in the first place.
'I can't selfishly stop Bell from going to the Dungeon. It's his wish, and as his goddess, I should be doing everything I can to help fulfill it.'
Though Hestia was filled with worry, that concern soon gave way to a soft smile. She didn't want Bell to abandon his pursuit of strength just because of her anxiety. With that in mind, she knew she needed to rein in her fears—at least a little.
"Bell, you've only just become an Adventurer. As someone who just received their Falna, you need to be extra careful in the Dungeon. I'll be right here waiting for you to come back."
Bell's heart felt a bit conflicted, but he gratefully accepted her concern and words of encouragement.
"Goddess-sama, I have my own goals and dreams. No matter how pathetic I may be now, I can't stop here."
"Goddess-sama, I promise—I will return."
With that vow, and carrying Goddess-sama's blessing of "good fortune in battle," Bell made his way toward the Dungeon.
...
The underground passage leading to the Dungeon wasn't particularly spacious. Now that Bell understood why Orario had been built the way it was, he realized the narrowness of the passage was intentional—to help limit the number of monsters escaping to the surface. Before the city existed, monsters likely climbed out from the Dungeon in droves.
It was still early, and there weren't many people at the entrance. In fact, the streets themselves were almost empty. It seemed the city wasn't truly safe until later in the morning—though that unease likely stemmed from Orario itself.
'I should note that down.'
Bell always held a deep sense of caution toward this city. You couldn't guard against thieves forever, but Orario seemed full of people who had no sense of boundaries. Staying vigilant was never a bad idea.
He carefully pulled up his hood, covering his head, and quietly descended into the Dungeon. From now on, wearing his hood when going out would help reduce the risk of being recognized.
Once inside, the Dungeon didn't give Bell any particularly grand impression. Honestly, it just felt like a massive pit, albeit one with passageways extending in every direction.
Bell took out the Guild-issued map from his spatial inventory. While the lower levels of the Dungeon were known to change layout periodically to confuse Adventurers, that wasn't a problem in the upper levels. Up to the 10th floor, the internal structure remained stable, and the map provided detailed information for those areas.
Anything beyond the 10th floor was a mystery reserved for high-level Adventurers. The Guild advised teaming up—new upper-tier Adventurers were usually guided into the Dungeon by veterans.
The advice might have been well-intentioned, but those veteran Adventurers rarely shared that same goodwill.