"Haaa—"
On the way to the Dungeon entrance, Levi let out his umpteenth sigh of the day. He had gained a new magic and used it to break the final barrier of emotion between him and Hestia. It should have been a dreamlike time where their relationship grew closer.
But...
"Why did it turn out like this?"
Distracted, Levi accidentally spoke his thoughts aloud. Normally, a random mutter wouldn't draw attention. But then...
"I don't know what's bothering you, Big Brother, but it's dangerous to head into the Dungeon with that mindset."
A reminder came from his right—specifically, from below. Levi looked down to see a small beast-human girl clad in a greyish-white cloak. Judging by her height, she was likely only eleven or twelve years old.
Even though he didn't know who she was, Levi wasn't about to be rude to someone offering kind advice. He gave her a nod and continued walking without saying a word. Until he was fully grown, he had no intention of forming deep bonds with other adventurers.
However, his silent distance seemed to be misunderstood—or perhaps, intentionally ignored. The girl sped up her pace, following him as she introduced herself. "Hello, Big Brother! This might be sudden, but do you need a Supporter?"
"Lili's hiring price is very che—"
The beast-human girl—or rather, the Pallum girl Liliruca Arde—got halfway through her sentence before Levi's flat voice cut her off.
"Sorry, I don't need one."
Bell Cranel, the protagonist of the original story, was a kind-hearted boy to a fault. He would reach out to those in despair and pull them from the mud. As Hermes would say, Bell was the "Last Hero." In contrast, Levi Bright—an orphan in both lives who had learned the harshness of survival early on—never had such grand ideals.
Even though he guessed this girl was Liliruca Arde, a victim of the Soma Familia's divine wine falling toward the abyss, he felt no urge to save her. His interaction was limited to that single sentence.
Oh, and he added one more.
"If you don't want to die, stay away from me."
"..."
With the words laid out so bluntly, Lili understood that following him further would be more than just rude—it would be dangerous. "Lili... no, I understand."
Seeing the girl stop, Levi nodded. He took a step forward, then added as if it were an idle, offhand remark:
"I've heard that the Captain of the Loki Familia, Finn Deimne, has a dream of revitalizing the Pallum race. I don't know how sincere he is, but if someone of his kin is struggling to survive in Orario, I imagine the 'Braver' would be quite happy to help."
Lili looked up in shock. She didn't know how he had seen through her transformation magic. She opened her mouth to ask, only to find the boy with the pale-gold hair was already a long, long distance away.
Lili's appearance was just a minor interlude. Before long, she was at the back of his mind. Levi prioritized his own growth. By the end of a hard day's work, his savings had climbed back to over 130,000 Valis.
60,000 Valis were dumped into the Standard Banner to secure the [Specified Development Ability Activation Voucher] and add 120 points to all five of his core stats. Then, he spent another 32,900 Valis using the system's direct conversion to push every attribute to the absolute limit: SS1099.
Anyone else with stats high enough to level up to Lv.3 would have rushed to the Middle Floors. But Levi never underestimated the Dungeon. Preparedness only lowered the probability of an accident; it never reached zero.
He began using his Skill Proficiency Vouchers. The first 100-day voucher sent his Mana Burst from Master 25% to Master 58% instantly. Feeling his mental energy drop by half, he didn't hesitate to pull out a Mana Recovery Potion—stored for ten years—and downed it.
At the same time, he chanted his second magic:
"Hestia! I pray to you, grant me your blessing!"
One-twentieth of his mana vanished. Immediately, a semi-transparent, semi-solid phantom of Hestia appeared behind him. The Goddess leaned against his back with a knowing smile before dissolving into a shower of light that merged into his body.
If this were a game, icons for 'Mana Regen ↑↑↑' and 'Health Regen ↑↑↑' would be appearing under my feet, Levi mused while checking his recovery.
[Mana Recovery Potion:] Restores 10% Mana per minute for 1 minute. CD: 10 mins.
The potion wasn't amazing, but combined with his sword's passive and Hestia's blessing, his mental energy was full in under fifty seconds. He immediately used the second 100-day voucher.
[Mana Burst • 4-Star (Master 58% → Master 88%)]
He then used five 10-day vouchers. Four to top off Mana Burst and one to develop his "Blade" and "Shield" techniques.
[Mana Burst • 4-Star (-)]
No Chant
Base: Significantly increases all stats except Magic (+400 → +500).
Advanced • En (Shroud): Extremely increases a single stat (+800 → +1000).
Advanced • Ran (Circle): Significant environmental perception.
Advanced • Jin (Blade): Significantly increases weapon attack power.
Advanced • Kai (Shield): Significantly increases armor defense.