The night was deep, and streetlights illuminated the streets of Orario.
Ying Ping and Kokkoro walked out of the Adventurers' Guild, a hint of disappointment on their faces.
"Miss Eina has already gone off duty..."
Kokkoro whispered, "Master, it seems the magic stones and materials we collected can only be sold tomorrow."
Ying Ping nodded, his gaze sweeping over the shadows on both sides of the street: "It's fine, we're not in a hurry for money anyway."
To help Eina with her performance, the two of them hadn't sold any materials this time.
They walked along the cobblestone path towards the church.
Suddenly, Kokkoro's elven ears twitched slightly.
She discreetly moved closer to Ying Ping and whispered, "Master... someone is following us."
Ying Ping's lips curved slightly: "How many people?"
"Five... no, seven."
Kokkoro nervously clutched her staff-gun, "Two of them should be high-level adventurers."
"Interesting."
A cold glint flashed in Ying Ping's eyes, "Follow me."
He deliberately led Kokkoro into a secluded alley.
As expected, the stalkers behind them immediately quickened their pace to catch up.
"You up ahead, stop!"
A rough voice sounded from behind.
Ying Ping feigned panic and turned around, seeing seven armed men blocking the alley entrance.
The burly man leading them had a hideous scar on his face and was wearing decent equipment, clearly a high-level adventurer.
"S-sirs..."
Ying Ping pretended to be scared, deliberately stammering as he probed, "I-is there something you need?"
The scar-faced man sneered as he approached: "Your backpacks look pretty full, don't they?"
"Hand over your magic stones, materials, and money obediently, and we might consider letting you live."
This group specialized in robbery and had developed a keen eye for judging people.
In their opinion, Ying Ping and Kokkoro, still wearing rented guild equipment, were unfamiliar faces with no reputation, so they must be new adventurers.
Even if they were talented, at most they would have just leveled up to LV2, definitely no match for their group.
Ying Ping 'fearfully' shielded the backpack behind him: "I-if we hand everything over, will you really let us go?"
"Hahahaha!"
"That's right, hand it all over, and then crawl under our crotches!"
The bandits burst into laughter.
Suddenly, a lanky man licked his lips, his greedy eyes scanning Kokkoro up and down: "How about this, we can indeed let you go, but this elven girl has to stay and have some fun with us~"
"Yeah! Such a fresh-faced elven girl, I'd willingly shorten my life by ten years for a single night with her!"
"Don't worry, we'll 'take good care' of her!"
Another bandit chimed in, provoking even more vulgar laughter from his companions.
"Master..."
Kokkoro tugged at Ying Ping's sleeve, a worried expression on her face.
"Don't be afraid."
Ying Ping's eyes instantly turned cold, losing all interest in playing around.
He slowly raised his head, and a chilling smile spread across his lips as he faced the bandits.
"Is that so... Then let's see how many lives you have to do that."
"Swish—!"
The sword light was like lightning.
The moment Hestia's Sword was unsheathed, the three closest bandits didn't even have time to react before their throats were slit!
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Blood splattered on the wall, appearing an eerie dark red in the night.
The remaining bandits stood dumbfounded, their faces still wearing the vulgar smiles from before, now splattered with their companions' blood.
"Th-this is impossible..."
"LV2 Rodan was instantly killed?"
The scar-faced man trembled as he backed away, "You... who exactly are you?! You absolutely cannot be LV2!"
Ying Ping flicked the blood from his sword, speaking in an unbelievably calm tone: "It's my first time killing someone... but it's easier than I imagined."
"Perhaps it's because I've killed too many monsters in the Dungeon."
He raised his eyes, and the terrified faces of the bandits were reflected in his red pupils: "Killing you guys feels no different from killing monsters... The only trouble is, you leave behind corpses."
"H-help!"
The lanky man was startled by those red eyes, let out a scream, and turned to flee.
"Holy Barrier!"
Kokkoro's clear voice rang out, and a verdant light curtain instantly sealed off the alley entrance.
The lanky man crashed into it with a dull thud.
The other bandits also crashed into it one after another.
"Kokkoro, you..."
Ying Ping turned his head and looked at Kokkoro with surprise.
Kokkoro's face was pale, her hands gripping her staff-spear tightly, but her eyes were exceptionally firm: "Master… we cannot let them go."
She bit her lip, her voice trembling slightly: "Continue… continue doing what you must."
Ying Ping smiled with relief.
He raised his longsword, its blade glinting with a cold light under the moonlight: "It seems both you and I have grown, haven't we?"
"Pl-please, I beg you!"
The scarred man knelt on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face, "We were wrong! We'll give you all our money and equipment! Just let us go!"
"Die."
Ying Ping said coldly.
"No!!!"
Screams echoed in the narrow alley, but quickly faded into silence.
Ying Ping stored the seven corpses in the system warehouse, then used clean water and some laundry detergent to wash away the bloodstains on the ground.
After all this, he held Kokkoro's hand and took a detour, ensuring no one was following them, before returning to the dilapidated church… Pushing open the basement door, Hestia looked distraught, pacing back and forth anxiously.
Seeing the two return, she immediately jumped up: "Ying Ping-kun! Kokkoro-chan! You're finally—"
She suddenly stopped, her small nose wrinkling: "You two… why do you have a strange smell of blood on you?"
Ying Ping closed the door and said nonchalantly: "We encountered a few short-sighted bandits on the way… they've been dealt with cleanly."
Hestia's eyes widened in shock, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the two: "You weren't hurt, were you?"
"Of course not, this kind of thing won't be traced back to us, and even if it is, there's no need to be afraid."
Ying Ping said with great confidence.
Hestia looked at Ying Ping with a complex expression and asked softly: "Is that so? Ying Ping-kun… tell me, what does it feel like to kill someone?"
Ying Ping was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "When people are killed, they die. It feels no different from killing monsters… just a bit messier."
The room fell into a brief silence.
Ying Ping smiled, then suddenly said seriously, "Alright, Hestia, first help us update our ability values, I guarantee you'll be greatly surprised."
"Alright then."
Hestia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
She had Ying Ping lie on the bed, and after dripping her divine blood, her slender fingers gently traced his back, and sacred character gradually appeared.
When she saw the words clearly, her pupils suddenly contracted, and her small mouth formed an 'O' shape.
"L…LV10?!"
Hestia shrieked, her voice almost tearing off the roof, "How is this possible! This morning it was clearly LV5!"
Ying Ping rolled over, looking at Hestia's pale, shocked face, and gently held her small hand: "Calm down, okay? Breathe deeply with me…"
"How—how can I calm down?!"
Hestia waved her hands incoherently, "LV10, Ying Ping-kun! Do you know what this means?!"
"No one in the entire history of the Lower World has leveled up this fast!"
"And you are now undoubtedly the strongest adventurer in Orario!"
She suddenly threw herself into Ying Ping's arms, burying her small face in his chest: "Waaah… my Ying Ping-kun is too amazing…"
Ying Ping chuckled and ruffled her hair: "Alright, now it's time to update Kokkoro's ability values, I guarantee she'll surprise you too!"
Hestia looked up, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Kokkoro-chan shouldn't shock me any more, right… unless she also reaches LV10, or even surpasses you…"
"But, no matter how much I think about it, that's probably not possible!"
She had Kokkoro lie down and began to update her ability values.
When the sacred script fully appeared, Hestia almost fainted from excitement.
Her voice trembled so much she was almost inaudible: "Kokkoro-chan also reached… LV10?!"
Hestia mechanically turned her head and looked at Ying Ping: "Eight levels in a row, am I… am I seeing things?"
Ying Ping smiled and shook his head: "You're not mistaken, Kokkoro is indeed LV10 too."
"This… this… this…"
Hestia stammered, "From LV2 to LV10 in one day… this is even more exaggerated than your leveling speed, Ying Ping-kun!"
"It's simply unprecedented and will never be surpassed!"
[Name]: Kokkoro
[Level]: LV10
[Strength]: I0
[Endurance]: I0
[Dexterity]: I0
[Agility]: I0
[Magic]: I0
[Development Abilities]: Elf's Pact, Magic Sense, Divine Blessing, Magic Guide, Healing
[Magic]: Healing Light, Song of Courage, Elf's Blessing
[Divine Purification (Area dispel negative status)]
[Holy Light Healing (Advanced healing magic)]
[Magic: Elf's Song (Group buff)]
[Magic: Nature's Wrath (Summon plants to attack)]
[Skills]: Nature Affinity, Holy Light Baptism, Light's Blessing
She carefully examined Kokkoro's ability values, her eyes widening more and more: "Wait… why does Kokkoro-chan have so many new magic spells?!"
"And these development abilities and skills…"
Hestia's voice grew softer and softer, "Magic Sense, Divine Blessing, Holy Light Baptism…"
She suddenly rolled her eyes and fell straight backward.
"Hestia!"
Ying Ping quickly caught her.
Hestia took a while to recover in Ying Ping's arms.
She trembled as she clutched Ying Ping's collar: "What… what exactly did you two do in the dungeon today?"
Ying Ping shrugged: "Just normal monster hunting and leveling up."
"You're still trying to brush me off like that?!"
Hestia shrieked, "No one levels up five or eight levels in one day! And from LV2 to LV10! That's completely illogical!"
Kokkoro timidly interjected: "Um… Goddess, what Master said is true… We just fought our way from the sixth floor to the tenth floor, it was very tough…"
Hestia stared blankly at the two, then suddenly covered her face: "Isn't that just the upper floors of the dungeon? A place where even LV1 adventurers can fight…"
"I can't take it, I must still be dreaming…" Ying Ping chuckled and pinched her cheek: "Do I need to pinch you to prove this isn't a dream?"
"No, no need, this… this isn't a dream…"
Hestia's lips trembled, then she suddenly pounced on the two, hugging Ying Ping and Kokkoro tightly.
"You two! Our Familia… is going to be completely prosperous!"
Her voice was tearful, yet filled with joy.
Ying Ping could feel her body trembling slightly.
"Ying Ping-kun… Kokkoro-chan…"
Hestia looked up, tears glistening in her eyes, "Starting tomorrow, we no longer have to hide in this dilapidated basement."
Ying Ping gently wiped away her tears: "Yes, after all, we're both LV10 now, no one in Orario can do anything to us anymore."
"Tomorrow we'll find a decent base, or simply renovate this place."
Kokkoro also nodded with red eyes: "Goddess, we will definitely make the Hestia Familia the strongest Familia in Orario!"
Hestia's tears turned to laughter, and she suddenly jumped up as if remembering something: "That's right! I need to quickly prepare the application form!"
"With your current levels, many people will definitely want to join our Familia!"
She fumbled for paper and pen, muttering continuously: "Need to prepare recruitment conditions… base location… and equipment budget…"
...