"Girlfriend?!"
Syr and Ryuu both stared at Stella in surprise. They truly hadn't expected that after just a short time apart from Charles, he would suddenly have a girlfriend.
Ryuu bit her lip, her gaze somewhat complicated as she looked at Stella. But she had to admit, this girl in front of her was no less attractive than herself in terms of appearance or figure.
Especially those two excess portions of fat—truly weapons of mass destruction. She couldn't even compete.
For the first time in her life, Ryuu found herself seriously considering trying one of Mama Mia's "growth booster" meals.
Compared to Ryuu, Syr's reaction was even stranger. Her eyes shimmered as if she were gazing at some captivating treasure.
That was exactly why Charles had tensed up earlier—he hadn't forgotten that this charming waitress was actually an avatar of that goddess.
With the way Freya could perceive the essence of people, there was no way she hadn't already noticed Stella's exceptional potential.
Stella might worry about not being able to surpass Charles, but her innate talent was unquestionable. In every regard, she was exactly the kind of person Freya was most drawn to.
And though Freya wasn't "multi-directional" like a certain sun god, her obsession with outstanding adventurers was just as intense.
That's why Charles really didn't want Stella getting in front of Freya at all. It wasn't that he feared her—he just knew how much trouble it could cause.
Unfortunately, no one could've predicted that on her very first day in Orario, Stella would randomly run into the goddess's avatar.
So the four exchanged greetings, but everyone felt a little awkward. Using the excuse of "preparing for an expedition," Charles quickly pulled Stella away.
He didn't keep secrets from her, so after they left, he explained Syr's true identity and the goddess's usual behavior.
Stella had initially only been hostile toward Ryuu, who she saw as having a thing for Charles, but she'd had a good impression of the sweet and adorable Syr.
She really hadn't expected the truly dangerous one to be the soft-spoken girl who seemed so gentle.
After hearing Stella's reaction, Charles fell into brief thought. It was true that Syr's avatar naturally possessed charm, but Charles also suspected Freya had already taken a liking to Stella and used her charm ability on her.
With that in mind, he silently reinforced his mental defenses. Then the two continued preparing for their adventure.
After a night's rest, they entered the Dungeon.
Floor 17 – In Front of the Wall of Lament
The upper levels, with their narrow tunnels and weak monsters, didn't let Stella show her true power at all. Charles had worried she might collapse entire levels with one blast of her Burning Heaven Flame Dragon technique.
But once they reached the Middle Floors, she could finally stretch her wings a little. Even with the suppressor bracelets Charles made, the monsters here couldn't compare to her.
Still, her current opponent was the Middle Floor boss—Goliath. And not just any Goliath—Charles could tell this was a strengthened variant.
The Middle Floors were special. They served as the main hunting ground for mid-tier adventurers, and Floor 18 above was a monster-free safe zone.
The Guild kept a schedule for when the Goliath boss would respawn and always arranged for large Familias like Loki's to take care of it.
Charles hadn't expected that as soon as they stepped onto Floor 17, a Goliath would appear—and not just any Goliath, but one that wielded a weapon. Maybe this was the Dungeon's way of greeting a world-traveling newcomer.
The Goliath roared and ripped out a massive stone pillar, swinging it at Stella.
But it completely underestimated the power packed into that small body of hers.
With her dragon wings spread wide, Stella kicked the pillar into pieces. Shards flew everywhere, pelting the Goliath's face and interrupting its roar.
Charles didn't interfere. Normally, a regular Goliath was a Level 4 threat, requiring a Level 5 or a team of well-trained Level 4 adventurers to handle safely.
This variant was even stronger—likely a full Level 5 threat—but even so, it was no match for Stella.
"Dragon Princess Maw!"
After crushing the pillar, Stella unleashed five flaming dragons.
Four of them coiled around the Goliath's arms and legs, binding it in place, while the fifth bit into its throat and forced it to its knees.
Then she charged in and slashed across its body with her Dragon Princess Sin Sword, leaving a deep gash.
It was like a red fountain—the blood sprayed everywhere.
The Goliath's agonized howl shook the entire cavern.
But Charles shook his head. As flashy as it looked, that cut wasn't particularly serious for a monster of this size and toughness.
Stella lacked combat experience, especially against monsters like this. If she had used more power or added flame effects, the battle might've ended right there.
Still, the Dungeon was full of all sorts of monsters—a perfect training ground for her.
The Goliath roared again, spitting a compressed air blast that severed the flaming dragon clamped on its throat.
Its right arm broke free next, and it reached to rip off the fire dragon on its other arm.
Realizing her earlier misstep, Stella wasn't about to give the Goliath another chance.
She flew straight up to its face.
Before the Goliath could react, she punched it—hard.
The monster was smart for its kind, but it couldn't process what just happened.
Half its face was a bloodied mess. It just couldn't comprehend how such a small person could hit that hard.
Then it broke free completely and clapped its hands together, aiming to crush her in between.
But Stella easily flew out of reach—only to find it aiming an air blast at her again.
"Burning Heaven Flame Dragon!"
Her fire met the air blast head-on and, after two seconds, overpowered it and scorched the Goliath's face.
Stella tore through the flames, delivering a punch that shattered the nearly carbonized skull.
She didn't stop there—she could sense the Goliath's body was still moving.
Waves of flame surged around her, flooding the monster's wounds and inflating it like a balloon from the inside.
Then boom—the Goliath exploded into chunks.
What remained was instantly reduced to ash, save for a few cracked magic stones that fell to the ground.
Charles, with his sharp vision, noticed some other items scattered nearby.
Pieces of hardened Goliath hide—rare, high-quality materials. Not bad for a first boss kill.
First dungeon boss, and she already got rare drops—now that was luck.
Charles glanced at Stella. He nearly forgot—his girlfriend wasn't just noble in status; she was a literal princess of a European kingdom.
Could it be? Was she actually one of those legendary "luck-boosted Europeans"? A true Euro Queen?
He picked up the loot, reviewed the battle with her, and then they continued onward.
They passed through the Middle and Lower Floors and finally entered the Deep Floors—the real trial Charles had prepared for Stella.
Floor 37
Charles stared at the skeletal giant emerging from the ground—only its upper half visible—and turned to glance at Stella.
He'd once come here hoping to obtain the rare drop from the Deep Floor boss Udaeus—the Udaeus Sword—but never ran into it.
Yet here Stella was, on her first visit to the Deep Floors, and Udaeus had appeared right away.
Yup. No question about it now.
His girlfriend was definitely an Epic-Tier Euro Queen.
(End of Chapter)
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