"Good morning, Kai-kun!"
Wearing white silk gloves, Hestia gracefully lifted her skirt as she casually sat beside Kai. She reached over to straighten his slightly messy hair, eyeing him up and down.
"You're heading into the dungeon again today?"
"Yeah…"
Feeling the divine aura radiating naturally from this genuine goddess up close, Kai instinctively held his breath.
"Eh? You really don't need to push yourself so hard..."
After smoothing out his unruly strands, Hestia patted him on the shoulder with a look full of admiration.
"Kai-kun, you're such a responsible and good boy!"
Even though Hestia, age-wise, had existed for at least a billion years, calling him a 'boy' was technically fine. But whenever Kai looked at her youthful face—barely different from a girl of thirteen or fourteen—and those eyes always sparkling with childlike innocence, he couldn't help but feel… a little weird.
Being called a "good boy" by a little girl… even a pervert wouldn't be into that kind of thing, right?
Still, what caught Kai's attention more than the awkwardness was the key word she just used.
"Re…sponsible?"
Wait, hold on! That phrase doesn't sound right at all!
You're making it sound like I did something… unspeakable to you!
"Of course!" Hestia cheerfully nodded, totally unaware of the subtle look on Kai's face. She started counting on her fingers. "You helped pay off the debts I owed my friends, renovated our old broken-down church into this nice place, and even though you haven't said anything, I know..."
"You… know what exactly?"
"Heh heh, I know everything! Bell and Lili already told me!" Her pink lips curled into a proud smile. "As soon as you enter the dungeon, you start teaching them sword techniques… I haven't personally seen you fight, but a technique that could let someone defeat a Minotaur while still Lv.1 must be super rare, right? Kai-kun, you've made huge sacrifices for our familia!"
"..."
Listening silently to her praise, Kai finally caught on.
Previously, when he brought Bell and Lili into the dungeon, he couldn't stand watching the two of them slowly struggle with weak monsters. So he had them step aside and cleared the monsters himself.
But to the clueless Bell and Lili, being sidelined while watching Kai tear through hordes of monsters like a storm was inspiring. They began to imitate his moves.
The problem was—unlike Kai, who had inherited the [Black Swordsman] class—without the proper sword sense or talent, their imitations were pathetic.
Originally focused on his hunting, Kai caught a glimpse of their botched movements and couldn't take it anymore. He cleaned up the monsters and actually started formally teaching them sword techniques.
Having received his guidance, Bell and Lili respected him even more, and during their status updates, they naturally put in a few good words about him to Hestia.
Well… guess it wasn't a waste teaching them after all.
Seeing the genuinely touched look on Hestia's face, Kai cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Speaking of which, Hestia-sama, today is the day of the gods' banquet, right? Um… I wanted to ask about my alias..."
"Don't worry! I'll make sure you get a normal one!"
"That's a relief…"
As Hestia promised with full confidence, Kai finally relaxed.
Most adventurers in Orario dreamed of a cool, stylish alias chosen by a god—something dramatic and full of personal flair. But Kai wasn't one of them.
Imagine walking down the street and someone shouting—
"Oh my god! Isn't that the Crimson Flame-Wielder of the So-and-So Familia?!"
...Sounds cool?
Well, if you think so—congratulations. You still haven't grown out of your chuunibyou phase!
As a grown adult, Kai had once been into that stuff, but those days were long gone. He'd never let such cringe happen to himself.
Thankfully, Hestia wasn't like the other gods with their twisted sense of humor. Despite her loli appearance, she absolutely hated cringey chuunibyou nonsense.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Hestia-sama!"
"Got it!"
Hestia thumped her chest proudly, causing ripples upon ripples. Then she hopped down from the bench and left the chapel.
Bathed in morning light, her silhouette was like that of a warrior!
Chen Mo watched her slowly disappear down the path outside the church, then stood up, straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes, and headed out. He didn't bother waking Lili or Bell, still snoozing in the basement.
…
Dungeon
Ever since leveling up to Lv.2, Kai had noticed something off.
Monsters seemed to be spawning faster than before.
Not only that—their overall stats were also noticeably higher.
Just the other day, Bell had nearly been knocked out by a goblin.
"That didn't feel like a goblin at all… It was like getting rammed by a bull!" Bell had said afterward.
The more Kai thought about it, the more one truth became clear—the dungeon was targeting him.
When he was still Lv.1, the dungeon had already begun accelerating monster spawns. Now that he was Lv.2, it was boosting monster stats.
Unbelievable… even gods couldn't see his origins, and yet this strange dungeon—which was neither living nor dead—somehow sensed what he really was, and responded with such intense hostility.
Still, it wasn't all bad. With the dungeon's aggression focused on him, he didn't need to run around searching for monsters anymore. Wherever he stood, waves of monsters would soon follow.
Just like now—
A flash of black sword light tore through the air.
"GUUUUUAAAAAAA!"
The slash sliced from the monster's skull down to its groin, leaving behind a trail of black and a chilling shriek.
In the next instant, the screaming stopped. A line of blood split its body cleanly in half.
This monster, known as a Dread Husk, had a thick bony shell that usually required teamwork from several adventurers to defeat. Yet here it was, split in two in a single blow.
With a flick of his wrist, Chen Mo flung the blood from his blade, painting an arc three feet away in red.
Blood soaked the floor. Monster corpses—so many they looked endless—lay strewn across the cave.
The Dread Husk had been the last surviving monster on the thirteenth floor.
"So this is what the mid-level monsters are like…"
Exhaling deeply, the black-haired, black-eyed swordsman turned and quickly retreated into the stairwell, frowning as he sensed even more monsters emerging from the walls.
Inside the stairway, the sense of being "locked-on" slowly faded, and Kai let out a breath before summoning his system interface.
"System."
[Ding!]
Name: Takashina Kai
Race: Human
Profession: Adventurer Lv.2 (86/10,000) – Hestia Familia
Age: 23 (150)
Height: 178cm
Weight: 74kg
Spirit: 11 (100)
Strength: 12 (100)
Agility: 13 (100)
Endurance: 12 (100)
Constitution: 12 (100)
ClassInheritance: [Black Swordsman]
Energy: 300,740.01 / 1,000,000
Kai sighed after glancing over his stats.
He'd practically wiped out the upper levels five or six times a day recently, yet none of his attributes had budged. Today, after risking the mid-levels, the only gain he got was a single point of Endurance—11 to 12. Everything else remained rock solid.
If that white-haired brat trained like this, he'd already be H-rank (20) across the board…
Bell had awakened a special skill—[Liaris Freese]—which boosted his growth as long as he had someone to admire.
Funny enough, despite Kai stealing his chance to fight the Minotaur, joining the Hestia Familia first, and even blocking his meeting with a certain sword princess, the brat still ended up admiring someone.
And the object of that admiration?
None other than big bro Kai, First Member of the Hestia Familia.
"At this rate, how long will it take me to hit Lv.3…"
Just thinking about all the XP required for higher levels made Kai dizzy.
No light at the end of this tunnel.
He wanted to return to the mid-levels to grind more efficiently, but even with his [Solo Player] buffs maxed, he couldn't withstand the endless mid-tier monster onslaught.
So for now, he retreated to the upper levels, continuing his reign as their "Slaughter God."
He had the skill of a high-tier player, yet he was stuck fighting noobs.
Sure, it was satisfying for a while, but eventually, even farming gets old.
Still… meat is meat, even if it's mosquito meat.
…
Evening
After a day of grinding in the dungeon, Kai emerged from Babel Tower to find the western sky burning red.
Night was falling.
With no Bell or Lili tagging along today, Kai had a sudden idea.
Maybe… a drink?
Following the flow of adventurers returning home, he soon arrived at a bustling street lined with shops.
His eyes scanned the buildings—and quickly landed on his target: a tavern.
"I wonder what Orario's alcohol tastes like…"
He licked his lips and stepped forward.
Then—a voice like a thunderclap rang out behind him.
"Found you."
"...Huh?"
Even though the street was crowded, Kai immediately sensed it.
That voice… was definitely directed at him.
Because he felt it—a powerful presence.
It wasn't hostile. Not killing intent. But just… awareness.
And that alone made his heart tighten.
Who is it?
Turning stiffly around, he found himself dwarfed by an impossibly massive figure, casting a shadow like a tower over him.
"Ot…ta?"
The muscles were huge but not bloated. The brown eyes radiated an intense pressure—just standing there made your limbs tremble.
The man known as Ottar.
The undisputed king of Orario. A level Lvl 7 adventurer.
What did he want with Kai?
Kai fought back the urge to flee—or to draw his sword—as he stared into the eyes of the towering man before him.
The man looked down at him with pitch-black eyes. When he spoke, the low, soul-shaking voice rolled from his mouth with terrifying weight.
"You… know me?"
"!!!!"
In that instant, to Kai, the entire world vanished.
All that remained in his perception was this demon-like man.
Too strong. Too strong. Too strong. Too strong…
All thoughts, all reasoning, were swept away by the man's overwhelming strength. Kai could feel heat rising simultaneously from his chest and back. Each breath was filled with the scent of blood.
Unable to endure the pressure, his instincts kicked in—he activated his [Sword Pressure].
At the same time that his body flared with sharp sword intent…
"Ottar, don't scare him."
A woman in a regal violet gown stepped out from behind the towering figure.
Upon hearing her command, Ottar lowered his head slightly, withdrawing the pressure that felt as if it could collapse the heavens themselves.
"Huff… huff…"
Relieved of the crushing force, Kai gasped for breath and looked toward the woman who had saved him—though his expression remained cautious and alert.
In all of Orario, there was only one person who could command Ottar like that.
"Freya…"
Muscles in his right hand twitched; he almost couldn't help but draw his sword. But ultimately, Kai did nothing—he simply stared at the woman before him with full vigilance.
Or rather… goddess.
A goddess of unrivaled beauty—the Goddess of Beauty herself.
"You're that child from Hestia's familia, aren't you… how interesting."
Freya stared at Kai with great interest, her gaze growing particularly intense when it landed on his jet-black eyes.
That was a gaze filled with possessiveness.
"Kai, right… Do you think Ottar is strong?"
Staring straight into his eyes, a faint blush colored Freya's flawless cheeks. She stepped forward, lifting a hand to touch Kai's chin.
"If you're willing to leave Hestia and join my familia, I can make you stronger than Ottar."
Behind her, the towering Ottar remained stoic. Despite hearing such words, his expression did not change at all. He showed no displeasure, no emotion at all.
In sharp contrast, Kai stood directly before Freya, facing her with a frozen expression.
Say yes… say yes…
A tempting voice seemed to whisper seductively in his ear.
"I…"
Kai opened his mouth, ready to answer—when suddenly, a sharp, cold sound rang from deep within him.
Ching—!
It was the sound of a sword being drawn.
At that moment, clarity returned to Kai's eyes.
He looked down.
His right hand held a jet-black blade, its edge pressed lightly against the fair, delicate neck of the goddess before him, halting her advance.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye—completely out of everyone's expectations.
Freya's flirtatious smile faltered slightly.
Ottar, behind her, suddenly erupted with power like a volcano ready to explode.
But Kai stared calmly at Freya's approaching hand, which had been aiming for his chin. His heart felt oddly still.
Then he lifted his head and looked directly into the eyes of the goddess he had just threatened.
"You'd better… not touch me."
His voice was colder than the blade itself.