Chapter 32 — Ridiculous Growth, Magic Maxed Out!
Tap—
As the sun began to set, the sound of light footsteps echoed from the depths of the Dungeon.
Today felt especially satisfying.
Shin Akira emerged from the lower floors, bathed in the golden glow of the descending sun. The warm light painted his features in sharp relief, making him stand out amid the flow of adventurers returning from their dives.
"Good evening, Miss Eina."
"Hm? Oh—Shin Akira? Good evening."
Yesterday, he had returned too late to catch her at the counter. But today, his timing was perfect.
Thud!
With a heavy sound, Akira dropped a large rucksack onto the guild counter. Eina blinked in surprise, then opened the bag. Her expression instantly changed.
It was stuffed with Magic Stones—some large, some glowing faintly with residual energy. Most were clearly from middle-tier monsters and above, and the sheer quantity was absurd.
"Akira-san…"
"Something wrong?"
"May I ask... which floor did you reach today?"
"Floor eighteen. Honestly, the Dungeon is fascinating. Who would've thought there'd be a paradise hidden deep inside all that darkness?"
"...Floor eighteen!?"
Unlike Akira's calm expression, Eina's face went pale in shock.
It had only been a few days since he became an adventurer, and he was already on floor eighteen!?
That wasn't adventuring anymore—that was straight-up suicide.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is!? You're still Level 1! Your operational zone should end at floor nine! You jumped all the way to floor eighteen—are you trying to die!?"
"Well... I'm standing here just fine, aren't I?"
"If you weren't, you'd be dead! Do you understand that!?"
Watching Eina—normally composed—get this worked up over him actually made Akira feel... oddly warm inside.
They weren't close. Just receptionist and adventurer. She had no obligation to care this much, and yet here she was, yelling at him like a worried older sister.
"Miss Eina, the truth is... I'm stronger than most people think. Sure, I just registered recently, but before this, I've been fighting monsters for a long time. So my level doesn't exactly reflect my real strength."
"Seriously? You're not just saying that?"
"Of course not. I'm not the reckless type. I value my life, you know. Besides, I'm from the Hephaestus Familia. I've got both financial backing and strong connections. Why would I risk it if I wasn't confident?"
"Hm... well, I guess that makes sense…"
Eina sighed and nodded slowly. Her frustration started to subside.
In this city—especially in Orario—there was never a shortage of outliers. History had seen plenty of eccentric geniuses. Perhaps Shin Akira was one of them.
"Even if you are talented, don't forget one thing—the Dungeon isn't a playground. It kills without mercy."
"Don't worry. I always keep Miss Eina's advice in mind. Adventurers should never act recklessly."
"Hmph. Good answer."
She finally smiled and reached for the rucksack, starting to count the stones one by one. The guild lobby quieted, the only sound was the gentle clicking of Magic Stones being sorted.
"All done. The total comes to three hundred and ten thousand valis. With this much... you must've gone with a party, right?"
"Ah... of course. No way I could get all this on my own."
"Good. Having allies in the Dungeon is essential. If something happens, they can save your life."
She handed him back the now-empty bag and a small pouch filled with money.
Three hundred and ten thousand valis—it sounded huge, but the pouch wasn't bulky. High-value valis coins made it easy to carry that kind of sum.
Akira weighed the pouch in his hand. Definitely heavier than yesterday's nineteen thousand. A massive jump.
And this was just the beginning.
Once he leveled up to Level 2, he'd be able to summon even more Shadowkhan soldiers. Earning money would become even easier then.
Leaving the Guild, Shin Akira headed to the market to buy some boxed meals. He hadn't forgotten his promise to Hestia—to bring her something tasty as an apology for yesterday.
Knock knock knock—
Akira tapped on the door of the house. A moment later, it opened, and he stepped inside.
"Hephaestus-sama, how about giving me a spare key? Having to knock every day is a bit of a hassle."
"Oh? So now you think this is your home? This is my house! You're just freeloading!"
"Yeah, yeah. So... where's the spare key?"
"In the drawer over there. Get it yourself."
The goddess didn't seem too bothered by the request. Without further complaint, she casually gave him permission.
Akira walked to the cabinet, opened the drawer, and retrieved a rather ornate key.
Unlike a normal metal key, this one looked luxurious—shining gold, almost like it was forged from real gold, or at least plated.
At the top of the key was a small ruby gemstone, sparkling subtly under the light.
He couldn't help but admire it.
Now that was a divine-level house key. It practically screamed "expensive."
"Oh yeah, Hephaestus-sama. Could you update my Falna? I feel like I've grown quite a bit today."
"Sure."
The living room was empty. Hestia was out, so Hephaestus didn't bother with formalities.
A drop of divine blood touched his back, activating the Falna. All the experience he'd earned today surged into his stats.
— — —
Shin Akira
Lv. 1
Strength: F 399 → C 699
Endurance: F 399 → C 699
Dexterity: F 399 → C 699
Agility: F 399 → C 699
Magic: C 699 → S 999
— — —
Magic:
（）（）（） [Empty]
— — —
Skills:
King of the Shadowkhan
・King of the Shadowkhan
・Boosts mental strength
・Can summon Shadowkhan soldiers
Greed
・An insatiable lust for everything
・Rapid growth acceleration
・Bonus experience from killing monsters
— — —
The growth was... outrageous.
Strength, endurance, technique, agility—each stat jumped by 300 points. His Magic stat hit the maximum value—S 999.
And this was just after a few days?
Hephaestus stared at the update sheet, then looked at Shin Akira again. What kind of monster was this kid?
"Is something wrong?" Akira asked.
"Look for yourself," Hephaestus muttered, not in the mood to explain.
She handed him a copy of the updated Falna.
Akira skimmed through it, then let out a chuckle.
No wonder she looked at him like that.
Compared to regular adventurers, Shin Akira was basically cheating in real life.
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