In another part of the dungeon... a hidden area somewhere in the middle floors.
Heavy footsteps rang out as a powerfully built minotaur staggered, bleeding heavily from its wounds, one of its horns snapped clean off.
Across from it stood Belle Cranel, equally drenched in blood, an explosive clutched in one hand.
'This is the closest I've ever gotten to winning across all my attempts.'
She thought, wiping the blood that had trickled over one of her eyes.
'Don't screw this up.'
She raised the Hestia Knife as the minotaur roared and charged.
'It's almost time.'
Alfia watched from a distance as Belle neared the end of her trial.
'Has it only been a bit less than two weeks...?'
Seeing her stand against a monster far stronger than herself...
Alfia felt a faint sense of pride.
'She's grown. A lot.'
And not just in terms of raw strength.
But also as an adventurer.
'At first, she charged in blindly... foolishly insisting on fighting it with the mindset of a one-on-one duel.'
That had gone on for days.
And every attempt had ended in failure.
Because that was the only way she knew how to fight.
But now...
Her approach had changed.
'She still faces it head-on... but now she prepares, sets traps, and uses long-term strategies to wear it down.'
Originally, this trial had been designed to give Belle the feat required to level up.
'It was meant to be a Level 2 monster...'
But Belle had already fulfilled that requirement.
The trial should have been discarded... at least until she was ready for the next level.
When Belle came to her and requested the trial herself with such determination in her gaze, Alfia had no reason to refuse.
'This is the first time she's taken initiative in her training...'
'Judas Spade... she must have felt pressured by his rapid growth.'
Alfia folded her arms as Belle moved in for the final exchange.
The minotaur charged.
Belle didn't move immediately.
She waited...
Timing it perfectly.
When it finally closed the distance, she didn't hesitate.
She hurled the last explosive at its feet.
The blast rang out and the minotaur stumbled, crashing face-first into the ground.
'Now!'
Belle surged forward, sword in her right hand, Hestia Knife in her left.
The minotaur clawed at the ground, trying to push itself back up.
But Belle wasn't looking at it.
Her gaze had already lifted to the ceiling above.
"Firebolt!"
A burst of fire and lightning struck the stalactite overhead.
It cracked, then fell, driving straight through the minotaur's body and pinning it in place.
'That... actually worked.'
She leaped upward and brought her sword down toward the magic stone.
The sharp crack of it shattering told her everything she needed to know.
"It... was... a good... fight."
Belle said between heavy breaths, meeting the minotaur's gaze.
Instead of roaring...
It let out a low, almost gentle moo.
As if returning the sentiment.
Then it crumbled to ash.
'She actually did it.'
Alfia exhaled slowly.
She imagined her past self... back when she was Level 1... facing the current Belle.
'I would lose...'
No matter how she pictured it...
She couldn't find a way to win.
In experience...
In stats...
In technique...
Belle lacked nothing.
She ran it through her mind honestly... her younger self against this version of Belle in a mock duel.
Even with her own talent, Alfia couldn't see herself gaining the upper hand.
"M-mother... I... I did it..."
Belle murmured weakly as her body gave out.
Before she could collapse, Alfia caught her.
"You did well."
The witch whispered, a faint smile forming on her lips.
...
By the time the sun had set, Belle had already regained consciousness.
Inside the Abandoned Church...
Hestia was updating her status.
A soft blue glow illuminated the room as numbers rapidly climbed across Belle's falna.
"Amazing... this is insane..."
Hestia muttered in awe as she recorded the results onto parchment.
========================================
Belle Cranel
LV 1
STR: SSS 1470 ---> EX 1999
END: SSS 1889 ---> EX 1999
DEX: SSS 1497 ---> EX 1999
AGI: SSS 1615 ---> EX 1999
MAG: S 908 ---> EX 1904
SKILLS: [Tenebris Vitalis]
[Liaris Freese]
MAGIC: [Firebolt]
========================================
Belle stared at her status sheet.
"EX... rank...?"
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Disbelief washed over her face.
Even Alfia's eyes widened slightly as she leaned over to read it herself.
"Hehe... if this ever got out to the public, half of Orario would be foaming at the mouth."
Hestia said with a thoroughly smug expression, clearly proud of her child.
"Goddess. Mother. I think it's time."
Belle said, her voice carrying a quiet but unmistakable excitement.
Alfia and Hestia exchanged a look.
They both already knew what she meant.
"I suppose we have been putting it off long enough."
Alfia said with a nod of approval.
Hestia, barely concealing her excitement, immediately got to work updating Belle's status once more.
After some deliberation over Belle's development ability... with Hestia's suggestions and Alfia's guidance... the level section of Belle's falna ticked upward from 1 to 2.
"Congratulations, Belle! You're now Level 2... and you gained a new skill!"
Hestia said with a warm smile.
========================================
Belle Cranel
LV 2
STR: EX 1999 ---> I 0
END: EX 1999 ---> I 0
DEX: EX 1999 ---> I 0
AGI: EX 1999 ---> I 0
MAG: EX 1904 ---> I 0
SKILLS: [Tenebris Vitalis]
[Liaris Freese]
[Argonaut]
MAGIC: [Firebolt]
========================================
The news spread across Orario like wildfire.
Though not as shocking as Judas' record...
Reaching Level 2 in just over a month and one week was still extraordinary.
"When did leveling up get this easy?"
"Another one? The rookies coming up these days are something else."
"But don't you think this Belle Cranel is kinda cute?"
"Right? She looks like a rabbit."
Just when everyone had convinced themselves that an irregular rookie of Judas' caliber was a once-in-a-millennium anomaly...
Another one had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
The announcement pushed Belle squarely into the spotlight for the first time, drawing the attention of virtually every major faction in the city, for better and for worse.
The difference, however, was that Judas had the name of the Loki Familia standing behind him.
Belle belonged to the Hestia Familia.
A faction so new and so small it had barely registered on anyone's radar until now.
In the minds of certain gods, that distinction made all the difference.
Schemes had already begun to take shape in their minds.
In particular, Apollo... god of the sun and a god of deeply questionable character... sat reclined on his throne, swirling a glass of wine in one hand and holding Belle's level-up poster in the other.
His gaze lingered over her features with a wide, unsettling grin spreading across his face.
"Oh my... what a cutie~"
He said, a blush creeping up his cheeks.
"That Judas Spade is quite charming as well... I would've loved to spend a night with him... but unfortunately, he belongs to Loki's faction..."
Somewhere in the Twilight Manor, Judas felt a sudden chill crawl down his spine.
A wave of pure, inexplicable disgust washed over him without warning.
'What the... I feel like someone disgusting is having deeply unpleasant thoughts about me right now.'
He thought, hugging himself slightly and looking a little pale.
Back to Apollo...
He looked at Belle's image once more, licking his lips.
"Fortunately... this one belongs to a weak, no-name familia like Hestia's..."
A low chuckle escaped his lips.
"This child is practically ripe for the taking..."
"I wonder what kind of screams you'll make when I pin you to my bed."
(A.N: Does he know?)
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