After finishing his conversation with Lefiya,
As for what choice to make, in the end it still depended on Riveria's thoughts. If some level of cooperation could be reached, then considering the still-unexplored difficulty of the mid-level Floors, when carrying out Dungeon exploration, Ron wouldn't mind bringing along part of the core strength of the Loki Familia—like the girl right in front of him, Lefiya, who hadn't yet broken through to Level 4.
The more luxurious the exploration party, the more confidence they would have when facing all kinds of unknown threats.
"That's the situation."
"If the matter regarding the Great Sacred Tree branch is already settled, I'll take the initiative to visit the Loki Familia—there are also some parts that you all would be interested in."
"..."
To be able to successfully graduate from the School District, Lefiya was naturally not some naïve fool. It was just that after hearing Ron's answer, the speculation that had originally formed in her heart was now confirmed.
'Dungeon anomaly incidents' were all caused by the young man of the same age standing before her.
That also reasonably explained—why they had encountered that Goblin Guard on Floor 1, as well as today's Floor Boss, the ancient dragon Lansseax.
"Then we..."
"No matter what, we're still friends."
Noticing the trace of unease in the elf girl's eyes, Ron easily guessed what she was thinking—she was worried this matter would become a barrier between them.
After lightly shaking his head, he smiled brightly and said: "In the future, there'll probably be quite a lot of times I'll need to trouble you—like today's kind of over-spec Dungeon exploration, Lefiya."
"You're not scared, are you?"
"..."
It couldn't even be considered comforting words.
Yet at this moment, they were continuously nourishing Lefiya's heart. As she looked straight into the boy's clear brown eyes, the corners of her eyes curved, and she nodded seriously.
The secret behind why Ron could repeatedly break records was already laid bare before her.
She knew that no matter what, she had to live up to this trust. But when she noticed Hestia appearing behind them, her mood instantly became tense.
I have to respond!
Lefiya pressed her pink lips together, then finally gathered her courage and said: "In the past, I knew you because we met in the Dungeon. And for certain reasons… we were just acquaintances."
"But from now on…"
"I want… to get to know you better."
And then find a way to grow stronger—there was no way she could let Ron leave her far behind, right?
However, the elf girl's one-sided declaration made Hestia's already bad mood worsen to the point that even the smile at the corner of her lips completely stiffened.
What are you doing!!
But, after all, she was still a goddess, and she hadn't truly confirmed a relationship with Ron yet. She couldn't bring herself to directly drive Lefiya away.
Her dim, lifeless gaze swept toward the boy.
"Ron."
"Is this adventurer your friend?"
A love battlefield?
That would indeed be interesting…
Facing the gazes of both Hestia and Lefiya at the same time—though both were beautiful girls, Ron felt a pressure as if he were facing a Black Dragon.
His gaze firmed: "Lady Hestia, would you like to hear me explain—no, defend myself a bit?"
...
After seeing Lefiya off, Ron told Hestia everything that had happened in the Dungeon today—encountering the ancient dragon Lansseax and meeting the Loki Familia—without leaving anything out.
However, he very naturally concealed the part about the transaction.
Because of Hestia's personality, Ron knew she would definitely become unnecessarily worried, and a qualified familia member shouldn't make their own god worry.
"That's how things went."
"And also, earlier Lady Hephaestus said she wanted to forge a staff for me. Lefiya came to find me to pass along that message."
It wasn't a lie.
Everything he said was true—but how much he left out? Don't ask!
"I see…"
Even though she received an explanation,
as she looked at the refined boy sitting beside her, the girl's tone was still filled with resentment. Her gaze drifted toward the Cecilia flowers in the vase on the table.
Hestia felt that it just didn't match the mood.
So, she decided she had to take some action.
"Ron, you should know—our familia and the Loki Familia are both exploration-type familias. In other words, we're in a kind of competitive relationship."
"It's best to maintain a proper distance from other familias."
At this point, Hestia raised her brows slightly, trying to hint to this blockhead: "And also, Ron… have you noticed?"
"Ahem."
"Lately, haven't there been a few too many women appearing around you?"
"After all, this is a private matter. As your god… I can't interfere too much. But if the secrets on you were to leak out, that would be dangerous."
She had never truly put on the airs of a god, to the point that even she herself felt awkward all over. Words like "Ron, you can only be mine" were something she simply couldn't say out loud.
"Then what should I do?"
"..."
He wasn't actually dense.
The hidden meaning behind Hestia's words—and that obvious sour scent in the air.
It was exactly this kind of question… that Ron really couldn't answer.
But if he had to give up the entire forest for the treasure in front of him—there was no way he could make that choice.
After thinking it over, he decided to break the stalemate with sincerity.
"Lady Hestia, I'll pay attention to this kind of thing."
"And then?"
That was a very standard answer.
But it wasn't what Hestia wanted. Her azure eyes were filled with expectation, and even her mood couldn't help but grow tense.
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Hestia?"
"..."
This conversation just couldn't go on!
Depressed…
The girl felt that all the frustration she had never experienced in the heavens was now being fully manifested through Ron. She crossed her arms over her ample chest.
Perhaps because of her breathing, Hestia's chest—far too full for her petite appearance—rose and fell continuously, determined to make Ron recognize who the best choice was.
"Ron."
"What do you think of me?"
"Cute."
"..."
Such a straightforward answer instead caused Hestia's tense expression to instantly collapse, her face visibly flushed with red.
Thump, thump, thump!
It was as if her heartbeat could be heard.
She pressed her lips together, feeling her burning cheeks: "Then setting aside being an adventurer, you still have to think about life, right, Ron… What's your ideal type?"
A soul-level interrogation from a goddess.
Ron still couldn't be like Bell from the original story—frankly declaring his preference for blonde, big-curved women. He frowned slightly and thought carefully.
"The cute type."
At least so far, all the girls he had met in Orario were quite cute. Besides, a real man never chooses—of course he chooses all of them!
However, just as Ron finished saying that, the girl beside him crashed into his arms.
Even though he hadn't explicitly named anyone, those repeated answers meant that in Hestia's eyes, Ron had already made his final choice.
Feeling that softness unique to a girl,
no normal man could endure such a situation. But as the goddess of the Hearth, forming a bond wasn't so simple.
At the very least—from the perspective of a Tarnished save file, he would need the strength to become a "consort king"!
Ron decided to change the topic: "Lady Hestia."
"After the tough battle against the mutated Floor Boss in the Dungeon today, I want to update my Falna and see how much my abilities have improved."
"..."
Is this really the time to bring that up?
Hestia frowned slightly, but she also knew what mattered more. Reluctantly, she released her arms from around Ron, her tone full of lingering resentment.
"Fine."
...
Ron
Level: Lv.3
Strength: I0 → H176
Endurance: I0 → F307
Dexterity: I0 → H133
Agility: I0 → H140
Magic: I0 → G201
...
His ability values had once again seen a leap-like improvement.
Especially his Endurance stat, which had already pulled far ahead of the others. Hestia found it hard to imagine just how much brutal tempering Ron's body had undergone in the Dungeon.
Her heart couldn't help but ache.
And under the equipped Tarnished save,
what was clearly visible was the increase in skill methods.
...
[Dragonfire]
Transforms the user into a dragon and breathes fire. The skill can be charged to extend the duration of the breath.
...
[Thunderfire Sword]
Summons a sword interwoven with lightning and fire.
...
[Death Lightning Strike]
Calls down violent death lightning in the surrounding area. The lightning carries a death-inducing abnormal status effect.
...
[Lansseax's Blade]
Power derived from the ancient dragon Lansseax.
Summons a red lightning blade that releases lightning when sweeping across targets.
...
"?"
For an ordinary adventurer, having two or three skills was already enough to prove excellent talent.
But Ron was completely different.
These skills…
why did it feel like they were wholesale goods?
As a goddess, she couldn't interpret the [Character Save Slot] skill—she could only grasp its general effect, but she never imagined it would be this outrageous!
Most importantly, these skill descriptions were things she had never seen even on Daphne or Cassandra. Was this the power of a dragon-blooded lineage?
"A bit ridiculous…"
the girl couldn't help but murmur absentmindedly.
All of them were special skills meant for real combat. Any one of them, taken individually, would likely be considered a trump card by adventurers!
She couldn't imagine their actual effects.
Hestia was certain—her Ron would, in the future, walk a path among adventurers that none could surpass.
Perhaps, only when he possessed enough strength to truly feel at ease would he consider stepping out of the identity of an adventurer and actually enjoying life.
"Very good."
No matter what, she would accompany him to the very end.
Just as she was about to record the ability values and specific skill effects, this goddess finally noticed the last section of the Falna panel.
[Great Feat]
The indicator of whether an adventurer could level up.
Logically speaking—since he had just leveled up not long ago, this section should have been empty.
But now, Ron's Great Feat section was once again filled—by the ancient dragon.
"?"
"You… don't tell me you're planning to push straight into Lv.4 in one go?!"
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