Chapter 27
"Right, Kiriya, there’s one more thing you need to decide."
Just as Kiriya was getting eager to head into the Dungeon and test his new strength, Hestia called out to stop him.
"What is it?" Kiriya asked, slightly confused.
"I swear..." Hestia patted her forehead. "I understand that you want to test your new power, but shouldn’t you finish the most important thing first?"
Seeing that Kiriya still did not understand, Hestia looked at him like he was hopeless.
"Your Development Ability! You need to choose one!"
"Oh, right, that’s a thing too."
Kiriya suddenly remembered.
Hestia wore an expression that said, I really can’t deal with you, then slowly explained.
"Right now, you have three Development Abilities to choose from: Swordsman, Mage, and Abnormal Resistance. Kiriya, which one do you want?"
Kiriya was not surprised by this.
The appearance of Development Abilities was closely tied to an adventurer’s actions before leveling up.
Since he often used swordsmanship in battle, he had "Swordsman."
Since he repeatedly used the magic Forest of All Things and Everflowing Vitality, he had "Mage."
Since he constantly bounced back and forth between being injured and recovering, he had "Abnormal Resistance."
In other words, every Development Ability came from the Falna recording and elevating his actions.
’So here’s the question. Which Development Ability should I choose?’
For a moment, Kiriya fell into thought.
Hestia did not interrupt.
She simply waited quietly at the side for Kiriya to announce his choice.
In her opinion, each of these abilities had its own advantages and disadvantages. No matter which one he chose, it would greatly benefit Kiriya’s strength.
Swordsman would improve his ability values when using a sword, making it comparable to a constant enhancer.
Mage could strengthen the power of magic, expand its range, and reduce chant time and Mind consumption.
Abnormal Resistance could increase his resistance against abnormal conditions such as poison and paralysis, making it an essential ability for exploring the Deep Floors.
There was no absolute strongest among these abilities.
There was only the one most suited to him. Everything depended on Kiriya’s own choice.
His thoughts on future development.
The path he wanted to build for his own growth.
"I choose Mage."
In the end, Kiriya still chose Mage.
After all, one of his trump cards right now was Forest of All Things and Everflowing Vitality, and now he had Blade Storm as well.
Choosing the Development Ability Mage would naturally complement them.
"I understand."
Hestia nodded and updated Kiriya’s Falna information.
Lv. 2
Strength: I(0)
Endurance: I(0)
Dexterity: I(0)
Agility: I(0)
Magic: I(0)
Magic: Forest of All Things, Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality, Blade Storm.
Skills: Wish of the Strong, Demon Slayer.
Development Ability: Mage (I).
"Good. Now it’s time to go test it."
Kiriya smiled.
...
"Bang—"
A teacup was thrown heavily onto the floor, shattering into pieces.
Hyacinthus pressed both hands against the table, his eyes blood-red with rage.
He was clearly furious to the extreme!
"Kiriya! Kiriya! How dare he make a fool of me!"
Thinking back to how he had followed Kiriya, only to lose him, Hyacinthus felt a burning rage at being toyed with.
Especially now that Kiriya had swaggered back in front of everyone.
His own act of secretly tailing him looked even more perverted and...
Stupid.
He did not fear being called a pervert.
But "stupid" was an evaluation he could not accept no matter what.
"Kiriya. Only you... I will never forgive you!"
Hyacinthus gnashed his teeth, his cold aura making the subordinate standing nearby shiver.
"Actually... even if we let him stay in the Dungeon for a few days, it shouldn’t matter."
At the side, a young elf man with long blond hair spoke calmly.
"It’s only three days. What could he possibly do? It’s not like he can level up, right?"
"That would be way too ridiculous," another member said with a laugh.
Yes.
Way too ridiculous.
They had already investigated and found that Kiriya had registered as an adventurer roughly eight days ago.
To go from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2 in only eight days?
Then what would that make all of them, people who had stayed at Lv. 1 for years?
Whats the word for something worse than trash?
"Idiots! What do you know?!"
Hyacinthus snapped coldly.
"That man received Falna for only seven days and was already able to toy with Lv. 2s at will. Even if someone like him ranked up within ten days, I wouldn’t find it strange at all!"
Everyone’s expressions stiffened.
When he put it that way, it did make sense.
Earlier, they had simply felt it was too absurd and subconsciously ignored that fact.
Now that Hyacinthus had brought it up, they all felt even more uncomfortable.
"What does it matter? Even if he does level up, can he really fight you, Captain? You’re Lv. 3," one member muttered in dissatisfaction.
"Besides, when the time comes, we’ll have over a hundred fighters. No matter how strong that guy is, there’s no way he can win!"
"Exactly!"
Everyone present echoed in agreement.
Whether based on past examples or their own pride, none of them believed such a thing could happen.
No matter how they looked at it, the numbers were one hundred against one.
The advantage was theirs!
Hyacinthus clenched his teeth, his expression shifting uneasily. How could he not understand that logic?
But the sense of danger in his heart was growing stronger, making him feel almost crazed.
"We need to make further changes to the battle plan."
...
The Dungeon, thirteenth floor.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
A group of Hellhounds gathered together, unleashing dense firepower on someone.
This was the difference between the Middle Floors, floors thirteen to twenty-four, and the Upper Floors, floors one to twelve.
The monsters here not only appeared in greater numbers and with higher frequency, they were also stronger and could unleash ranged attacks similar to magic.
The most representative of them were these Hellhounds.
They were about the size of calves, could breathe fire, and moved in packs.
For adventurers entering the Middle Floors for the first time, they were among the most troublesome monsters.
However, that was only for ordinary adventurers.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash — Sixfold."
Kiriya’s figure turned into lightning, cutting winding pillars of light through the dim cavern.
Wherever he passed, the Hellhounds were either sliced open or beheaded.
In the blink of an eye, all of them were dead, leaving magic stones scattered across the ground.
"Phew—"
Kiriya wiped away sweat that did not exist on his forehead, very satisfied with his own work.
The physical ability of Lv. 2, combined with the boost from Breathing Styles, had raised his speed and attack power to an unbelievable degree.
Among adventurers of the same level, there were probably very few who could rival him. Even challenging Lv. 3 adventurers above his level would not be a problem.
Just as he was in a good mood, the warm and hospitable Dungeon began serving him another feast.
On the surrounding walls and floor, rabbit-like monsters the height of Pallums began appearing one after another.
These were powerful goblin-like rabbits, formally known as Al-Miraj, and informally known as—
Bell Cranel!
There were over a hundred of them!
Seeing Kiriya stop moving, they seemed to think he had exhausted his stamina.
One by one, they opened their mouths to reveal large front teeth, waving their little axes as they charged at him.
"Blade Storm."
Kiriya smiled faintly and chanted his ultra-short spell.
Immediately after, the overwhelming swarm of rabbits rushing toward him was engulfed by dense currents of sword wind.
They only froze in midair for an instant before being shredded into pieces by the razor-sharp sword energy. With a loud bang, they vanished into ash.
Kiriya closed his eyes and carefully savored the state he had just entered.
It was very strange.
His entire body felt as though it had entered a mysterious domain, and the world before his eyes had become extremely slow.
But he knew that the world around him had not slowed down.
Rather, he had entered an extremely high-speed state.
"I see. So this is what Blade Storm means? Turning the sword in my hand into an endless storm. Pretty fitting."
Kiriya smiled with satisfaction.
"Good. I’ll keep training like this and try to become more familiar with my newly gained strength and magic. When the time comes... Apollo, I’ll definitely give you a huge surprise."
Kiriya lifted his head.
His gaze seemed to pass through the thick layers of rock and reach that self-important god, and he revealed a meaningful smile.
...
Under the eager attention of all Orario, the day of the War Game between the Hestia Familia and the Apollo Familia arrived.
Early in the morning, gods living all over Orario had already gathered.
They sat in their respective seats, waiting for the show to begin.
"Hahaha, it’s finally starting. I can’t wait anymore."
"Exactly, exactly. A one-hundred-versus-one siege battle. How will Hestia’s child handle it? I’m really looking forward to this."
"Will he win through strategy? Maybe use some clever plan like a Trojan horse? Or is he planning to attack head-on?"
"No way, right? That’s one hundred times the manpower. Hestia’s child doesn’t look like someone whose brain is full of water."
The gods spoke loudly among themselves, laughing, mocking, and commenting without restraint.
Listening from the side, Hestia grew furious.
She wished she could grab a sword and chop down this bunch of gossiping gods immediately.
"All of you shut up, you gossiping old hags!"
In the end, Hestia let out a lion-like roar.
"Whoa, Hestia’s angry."
"How scary. I didn’t expect that after descending to the lower world for only this long, Hestia would already turn from a loli into a demoness."
"Pfft! That comparison is perfect."
Seeing the reactions of these entertainment-addicted gods, Hestia nearly gave herself internal injuries from anger.
In a fit of rage, she rolled up her sleeves and prepared to charge forward and start a fight.
But her good friend Hephaestus pulled her back.
"Better not. If you go over there, you’ll just be giving those perverts a treat."
Hestia froze.
Looking at the pig-like expressions on those gods’ faces, she immediately shuddered and no longer wanted to bother with those disgusting gods.
"How is it? Are you confident?"
Hephaestus bumped her lightly with her shoulder and asked in a low voice.
"Do you even need to ask? My Kiriya will definitely beat the damn Apollo Familia until they’re crying for mercy!"
Hestia patted her chest, full of confidence.
If she still had some doubts before, then after seeing Kiriya’s miraculous leveling speed and the number of magic and skills he had awakened, she no longer had any worries.
"Is that so?"
Hephaestus was somewhat doubtful.
But since her divine friend was currently fired up, it was not suitable for her to pour cold water on her.
This goddess of the forge still considered Hestia’s feelings, but the other gods were not necessarily the same.
"Hmph, I think you’re just being stubborn."
Loki sat on a chair nearby, her legs crossed on the table as she yawned.
"You’re probably scared to death inside."
"I thought you might have something insightful to say, but I didn’t expect it to be such boring nonsense."
Hestia glanced at her sideways, arms crossed in front of her chest, fully displaying the elegance and composure of a goddess.
It made Loki furious!
"That’s right, Hestia. There’s no need to keep forcing yourself at this point."
Apollo’s voice arrived at just the right time.
His face carried an expression of certain victory, while his mind had already started imagining how he would express his love once he obtained Kiriya.
"Just obediently admit defeat and hand that child over. That way, everyone can still save face."
"Hehe. Apollo, enjoy your final moments in Orario."
Hestia could not even be bothered to raise her eyelids, fully displaying a cold and lofty aura.
"Haha, then I’ll look forward to it."
At that moment, Hermes, representing the neutral side, walked onto the central stage. He bowed to the gods, then loudly asked,
"Ouranos, please permit me to use divine power."
"Permission granted!"
A solemn voice rang out from the void.
Afterward, with a synchronized snap of Hermes’ fingers and the fingers of the gods, round mirrors rose one after another inside the hall of the Denatus.
They also appeared in every corner of Orario.
This was the only miracle gods were allowed to use in the lower world—
The Divine Mirror.
It was a divine power with a clairvoyant function.
It was not an individual spell, but a wide-area "broadcast" system activated jointly by many gods and covering the entire city.
It could reflect every detail of the War Game with perfect clarity, fitting this group of gods’ entertainment-until-death philosophy extremely well.
And it was not only the gods’ meeting hall that was lively.
The entirety of Orario had already fallen into a sea of celebration.
As a city dominated by adventurers, the people here naturally loved excitement and adventure.
Especially when they could sit back and watch others fight to the death, that feeling was simply wonderful.
Moreover, they could make a fortune from it.
"Place your bets, place your bets! Apollo Familia at one to one-point-two! Hestia Familia at one to ten! Everyone is welcome to bet!"
Similar scenes were unfolding in every tavern and every gambling den, all of them packed so tightly with gamblers that not even water could pass through.
Naturally, nearly all of these gamblers bet on the Apollo Familia to win.
Although the odds were only one to one-point-two, it was safe.
If they bet on Hestia, they would probably lose everything.
"Excuse me. I’ll bet on the Hestia Familia."
Just then, a clear voice rang out, making the noisy tavern fall silent.
Everyone looked at the beautiful girl with short gray hair, their faces full of disbelief.
"Miss Syr, this isn’t something you should gamble on. Otherwise, all your work these past few days will go to waste."
"Well, it isn’t that much anyway. If I lose, I lose. But if I win, I’ll make a lot."
The girl gave them a playful look.
"Hahaha, Miss Syr really is adorably honest."
The tavern began cheering and teasing, bringing a faint blush to the girl’s face and making her look especially lovely.
Beside her, a short-haired blond elf girl looked at the city in the mirror, her face growing serious while curiosity rose in her heart.
A city like that, heavily guarded and fully prepared with troops...
How exactly did that boy plan to take it?
"Probably infiltration. After all, even with a hundred people, there should still be weak points in the defense... Hm?"
The elf girl murmured a few words, then stopped.
Looking at the boy’s actions in the mirror, she fell into the same deep shock as everyone else.
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