"[Dungeon Quest Complete. Please return within twenty-four hours. Remaining time…]"
Roy did not hesitate and immediately clicked "Return." After defeating Goto, the way the surrounding SWAT team members looked at him and Ryuu was clearly strange.
Nine times out of ten, they had received certain orders.
For an LV.4 adventurer to clash with a modern state machine was extremely difficult. Fearing that a few helicopters might suddenly appear, Roy dared not delay.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Roy and Ryuu's figures vanished, leaving behind stunned onlookers.
They returned to the Astraea Familia home, [Star Garden].
As expected, Ryuu immediately went to bathe. Her elven fastidiousness could not tolerate the bloodstains on her body.
Roy began tallying the gains from this Dungeon instance.
[Teammate Ryuu Lion killed twenty-one Parasytes. Congratulations, you have received 2650 Status Points. Kill count reached twenty. Extra reward: Silver Chest.]
Together with the 1200 Status Points from hunting Goto, he received a total of 3850 Status Points!
Name: Roy
Level: 1
Strength: 780 → 1685 (SSS)
Endurance: 998 → 1622 (SSS)
Dexterity: 1120 → 1433 (SSS)
Agility: 1330 → 1452 (SSS)
Magic: 0 → 1698 (SSS)
Skills: My Lord is Here, Blood for Blood
Magic: None
…
Roy tapped repeatedly on the panel. Status Points flowed out like water, adding to his Ability Scores.
He spent a total of 3662 Status Points.
He had 188 Status Points remaining, and then Roy found he couldn't add any more—literally. The Ability Score panel displayed "Cannot add more points."
Roy seemed to understand something.
The system's ability to raise Ability Scores was not infinite; it only helped him reach his inherent limit.
In other words, if he was willing to spend a vast amount of time adventuring, he could also grow to this level. The system points merely drastically reduced that time.
"All SSS rank. It seems my aptitude is quite good." Roy looked at this extravagant Ability Score panel. Looking at it this way, perhaps he wasn't just an ordinary person.
Even the world-renowned Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, couldn't break through the SS rank, being capped at S rank.
Since Ability Scores couldn't be infinitely added, Roy had no psychological burden about leveling up.
[Feat Achieved. Proceed with Level Up?]
Roy chose not to click "Level Up" but instead sought out Goddess Astrea, to give her a sense of participation.
When Roy requested her help to level up, the first thing he saw on Goddess Astrea's perfect, beautiful face was disbelief, followed by gratitude, and even a hint of emotion. Tears nearly streamed down her face.
This made Roy feel utterly confused and suspicious.
Could she be a useless Goddess?
It's a good thing Goddess Astrea's hair isn't blue, or I would genuinely be scared.
Goddess Astrea put down the cooking utensils she was holding and happily led Roy back to the room.
Her soft, boneless hand felt smooth and delicate, like warm jade, making Roy's mind wander.
If Ryuu was a tart, unripe kiwi fruit, Goddess Astrea was a ripe peach: her voluptuous and graceful body was full of allure, infused with the mature scent of an intellectual woman—less charm, more elegance and dignity.
And at this moment, Goddess Astrea was excited, like a child who had found a new toy.
Roy prayed inwardly, hoping she would be reliable. If not, he would have to do it himself.
The level-up process began.
Goddess Astrea pricked her finger with a silver needle. A drop of Divine Blood fell onto Roy's bare back, and the Ability Scores formed by the Hieroglyph (Divine Text) began to emerge.
As expected, the all-SSS rank Ability Score panel stunned Goddess Astrea.
Goddess Astrea looked at Roy's handsome profile. Her perfect, moist red lips slightly parted, and for a long time, no sound escaped.
The level-up procedure continued, and the Hieroglyph transformed.
Roy also watched his Ability Scores. The all-SSS rank luxurious panel gradually receded, replaced by a new Ability Score panel, all starting at 0 (I). The difference was that his Level had become LV.2!
The LV.1 panel hadn't disappeared; it was hidden within his body, adding to his strength.
Purely numerically, he now looked like 0 (I). In reality, he could easily contend with someone at LV.2 with all Ability Scores around five or six hundred!
"For your Development Ability, you can choose Abnormal Resistance, Hunter, or Adventure. Which one do you want?" Goddess Astrea's gentle voice sounded in Roy's ear, as she carefully explained the features of the three Development Abilities.
[Congratulations on reaching LV.2. Selectable Development Abilities are Abnormal Resistance, Hunter, Adventure!]
Roy had already seen the new notification panel.
Development Abilities are extra abilities that can be learned after leveling up. They usually serve as a secondary profession. For example, a blacksmith would choose "Forge" to enhance their ability to craft weapons or armor. An apothecary would choose "Mix" to help them better brew potions...
While Skill awakening is based on the adventurer's will, Development Abilities are related to what they have recently encountered.
Abnormal Resistance (異常抗性): Can be obtained upon leveling up if one has recently encountered poisons. It grants resistance to abnormal statuses such as poisoning. If others eat the red mushroom with a white stalk from the Dungeon and die, you would, at most, only feel dizzy.
Hunter (猎人): Can be obtained upon leveling up if one has recently killed a large number of monsters. The adventurer's Ability Scores are enhanced when dealing with monsters they have previously killed. This is a rare ability, highly favored by both deities and adventurers.
Adventure (冒險): Goddess Astrea hadn't seen this Development Ability often. Based on her speculation, it was likely acquired by individuals who loved exploration and actively sought out dangerous places when they leveled up.
Note that this is for people who seek thrills purely for its own sake, without any other purpose. The full name of this Development Ability could also be called "Single-minded Adventuring."
It does not count for regular adventurers who enter the Dungeon for money or fame.
As for its specific effect, she didn't know.
Don't assume that deities are omniscient.
Falna (Divine Blessing) is merely a catalyst. It can unearth possibilities that the recipient might never discover in a lifetime and materialize them into specific abilities.
Through various accumulated experiences, it morphs and evolves, like a seed buried in the earth that blooms into different flowers depending on the environment.
Only this aspect is a mysterious realm that even the deities cannot fully comprehend. That is why the Gods collectively get "green eyes" whenever a rare Skill appears.
This "Adventure" is undoubtedly rarer than Hunter—enough to make the deities frantically excited.
Goddess Astrea was unaware of the specific effect of Adventure, but Roy could see it on the panel.
[Adventure: The compassion of the Goddess of Fate bestowed upon the brave. Actively venturing into dangerous places significantly boosts one's Ability Scores, Recovery Rate, and Luck!]
Roy stated firmly, "Goddess Astrea, I want the Development Ability 'Adventure'!"
Hearing this, Goddess Astrea looked at him with a mix of scolding and helplessness. With the emergence of such a Development Ability, she seemed to understand the nature of this particular Familia member.