The next morning.
"Are you ready to leave yet!?"
"Coming! Give me a minute!"
"Haa…"
Kaelis sighed helplessly.
Dressed in casual clothes, a crisp white short-sleeved shirt with a relaxed collar, paired with wide black trousers and polished loafers, he waited for his date, the busty goddess Hestia to hurry it up so they could leave.
"Heh…" beside him, stood Bell, dressed in an equally casual attire.
It seems he had no plans to enter the dungeon today.
With no other choice but to wait for the lady, Kaelis turned to his companion for some small talk.
"And you… What do you have planned for today?" He asked.
"I plan on going to the colosseum to see the monster display… other than that, I don't know what else to do." Bell replied.
Since they came to Orario, majority of the time, he had been dungeon diving and hardly talked to anyone else outside of his small group.
With the feeling of growing stronger being so intoxicating to him, he spared no effort to make connections.
"By the way, how are your stats looking?"
Kaelis remembered it's been nearly two weeks since his first update after they got back from their first dungeon run and his stats, according to hestia, had massive gains.
And since it's been a long time, his stats should be in the upper range, right…
"I think the last time I checked," Bell began thinking.
"…Most of my stats have risen a lot. I don't remember the exact number—oh! But I remembered my agility is still the highest, somewhere in the A range with my dexterity being closely behind."
"Hm?" Kaelis listened closely. That shouldn't be right…
"How many updates have you got since the first one?"
"Two more. What's wrong?"
He remembered it clearly.
When Hestia had updated Bell's status that day, the numbers hadn't just gone up—they had jumped.
Across the board. Strength, endurance, agility, dexterity…all of it had climbed far more than what a beginner's first dive normally produced.
At the time, Kaelis had brushed it off.
Bell had fought hard. Nearly died a few times. Growth came from pushing limits—simple enough.
But now…
Bell had been diving almost every day since then. Solo, too.
By all logic, that kind of pace should've kept his growth explosive. Not slowed it down.
Yet A-rank agility after two more updates?
"…That's odd," Kaelis muttered.
Bell tilted his head. "Is that… not normal?"
Kaelis didn't answer right away.
That first spike was abnormal… but the slowdown is stranger.
If Bell's growth had been purely from effort, then the curve should've stayed steep—maybe not as dramatic as the first time, but still climbing hard.
Instead, it sounded like he'd hit an invisible ceiling far earlier than expected.
What Kaelis nor Bell realized was that the circumstances surrounding his first stat spike was due to his unique skill.
Specifically, an aspect of it: Greatly enhanced growth through training.
Bell's first dive had been intense, but Kaelis had been there the whole time, just watching and guiding when needed.
He left subtle tips that Bell picked up on.
During the fights, Bell learned to read monsters better, react faster, and stay calm under pressure.
Every little correction from Kaelis helped him think smarter in combat.
Throughout their time together, the dungeon stopped being a danger zone but instead a training ground to cultivate his disciple.
And that activated the power of the skill to the max, thereby enhancing his growth.
But none of them thought of that yet.
Still, even without his skill fully activating, his growth still would earn him jealousy from the other adventurers.
"I'm ready!"
Kaelis was pulled from his thoughts by Hestia's voice.
They turned towards her.
Hair combed in high ponytail wearing white pleated sleeveless dress paired with a light blue cardigan over the shoulders.
On her feet were white ankle strapped heels that were a few inches taller than usual making her head in-line with Kaelis's chest.
"Soooo. What do you think?"
Hestia twirled on her toes, giving both master and disciple a better look.
"Whew!" Kaelis whistled, impressed. "You look amazing, Hestia."
Hestia's cheeks flushed a deep pink.
She shyly looked away for a second before grinning and grabbing his hand. "Let's go!"
Kaelis turned to Bell with a small smile. "That's our cue to leave."
Bell gave a nod, smirking slightly as they fell into their separate pairings, Kaelis walking hand-in-hand with Hestia dragging him along
While Bell went off somewhere, the morning sun cast soft light on the bustling streets of Orario.
…
Kaelis led Hestia out into the bustling streets of Orario.
Hestia walked close, her dress swaying lightly as they moved, and Kaelis couldn't help but notice how clumsily she walked.
"So… where are we headed first?" He asked, his tone light, teasing.
Before she could say anything, he continued.
"I think something simple should be fine. I figured we could stroll a bit, maybe check out the market, grab something to eat, and see where the day takes us."
Hestia grinned, looping her arm through his. "Sounds perfect."
They wandered through the market, pausing at small stalls to look at little trinkets, which Kaelis bought her.
They continued, buying fresh sweets, and watching street performers, bards and the likes.
Hestia laughed easily at a juggling act, leaning against Kaelis so she wouldn't fall over when the performer made a silly mistake.
"Careful," Kaelis said, smiling down at her. "Don't want you go twisting your ankle."
In his mind, he wondered why she wore heels in the first place.
"Hmph. I can handle myself," she retorted, but her blush betrayed her.
Later, they found a small café tucked between a blacksmith's shop and a fabric store.
They shared a table near the window, sipping warm tea and nibbling on pastries.
Hestia chatted about things she did back in heaven she'd and asked Kaelis questions about his travels and experiences.
"I'll tell you about it when we are at home."
If he were to begin talking about them, they would need a good sitting down.
He had no qualms about telling others about his world traveling nature since if he was met with overwhelming opposition he couldn't handle in any world, he could just leave.
"You always seem so calm," she said, looking up at him.
"How do you do it?"
Kaelis shrugged, hiding a small smile.
"I just take things as they come. No point stressing about what I can't control."
Hestia nodded thoughtfully, then grinned. "Well, I'll try to be calm too. But only if you promise to teach me that trick later."
After lunch, they decided it was time to visit the colosseum to watch a monster demonstration.
She squeezed his arm tightly and tried to pull him forward harder.
"Come on, let's go already!"
Her cheeks puffed in frustration as she tried exerting more strength than her puny body could muster but barely managed to move Kaelis.
Sometime back, Kaelis had noticed a few pairs of gazes peering into his back with malicious intent following them.
Although he couldn't actually pinpoint their exact location, he could still feel them following, watching his every move.
Although he doesn't know for what reason, he has decided to ignore them for now since they haven't done anything.
But then malice was directed towards hestia for some reason and it made him get serious for a second before it returned to him.
"Ok, ok. I'm coming. Geez." He sighed.
I'll deal with you guys later.
…
Back at the Guild, the day had barely started when an unusual flurry of inquiries began rolling in.
Famílias that rarely asked questions about others were suddenly dropping in, leaving messages, or stopping by with vague requests.
The staff exchanged knowing glances, the sudden influx of inquiries had made sense.
Most of them had heard the rumors by now about Kaelis.
The reason the familias were asking the guild? Pretty straightforward, actually.
Anyone capable of besting Goibniu, a god-level smith, in swordmaking wasn't just talented—they had to possess a unique skill.
And no one in Orario had ever demonstrated that kind of ability before.
Which meant one thing: this person had to be new.
And it's mandatory for new adventurers to have to go through the guild registration.
The staff understood why curiosity was high.
Each familia wanted to know who this Kaelis was, which familia he might belong to, and whether he could be a potential ally—or threat.
And if it turned out his familia was small… Well, god help them.
Between all the whispers around her, Eina was busy sorting through petitions, barely looking up.
That was, until Misha—one of her closer friends—leaned over, tilting her head with a sly smirk.
"Isnt the guy that registered with the newbie your advising named Kaelis?"
Eina froze for a second. "Yeah… Why does it matter?"
Misha shrugged, her expression unreadable. "I dunno… just saying, it's weird. Nearly every familia suddenly wants to know about him."
Eina frowned, glancing down at the growing pile of notes and requests.
"Maybe it's someone else with the name Kaelis. Plenty of people might have that name."
"Yea? Well. Never heard of a Kaelis until that guy came and registered, but I guess you're right…"
Misha's eyes narrowed as she eyed Eina suspiciously.
"What?" Eina asked, seeing her best friend staring at her.
Misha leaned closer, her voice low.
"Are you really sure it's not him?"
Eina met her gaze. "Yes, I'm sure."
Misha raised an eyebrow but didn't push further. "Alright… if you say so."
Eina turned back to the growing stack of papers, her fingers already rifling through petitions and requests.
"I should get back to sorting these. The guild isn't going to run itself, you know."
Misha gave a small nod, stepping back with a smirk. "Fine, fine. Just… keep an eye on things, okay?"
Eina didn't reply, focused entirely on the work in front of her.
Even as she said it, a small knot of worry settled in her chest.
Bell might get caught in the middle, even unintentionally.
She shook her head slightly, forcing herself to focus, but the concern lingered.
Chapter 86 end.
———————
Happy new years to all you folks.