"Why are you so excited, Nize?"
The prum's voice carried blatant disdain as she roasted the red-faced werewolf—though, deep down, she felt a tiny flicker of longing too.
No. Don't think about it. That's blasphemous!!!
"Everyone's tired, right?" Astraea asked, smiling. "Bath first? Or dinner?"
"And what about…" Kaguya's tone turned dangerously playful, "…choosing the 'housewife' (Lady Astraea) instead?"
"H-huh? K-Kaguya, you—!!"
Ryuu, thoroughly assaulted by Far Eastern culture, short-circuited on the spot.
Xien, meanwhile, guiltily rubbed the bridge of his nose—warm for reasons he absolutely refused to unpack.Kaguya… you're a menace. That line was too clean. Too lethal.
"Then I'm bathing first!" Alise declared at full volume—still pressed into Astraea's embrace—and shamelessly nuzzled into the goddess's chest.
The prum nearly snapped her neck turning.
"Is our captain incapable of reading the room?! And—what are you doing?! That's disrespectful…!!"
Alise, undeterred, smiled like a villain.
"Then Astraea-sama should bathe too. Whether it's hot water or our goddess, I intend to enjoy both together."
"…?!!"
Xien's soul tried to flee his body.
His inner voice screamed moral outrage with the volume of a temple bell—while another, smaller voice whispered:…Why am I jealous?!
"Ehehehe… Captain really is the strongest." Kaguya fanned the flames, delighted.
After all, the girls' bath was connected.
If the goddess really went in, then… well… everyone could wash together, right?
Alise seized Astraea's hand and stood up.
"All right, Astraea-sama, come with me—"
"Stop! That's—th-that's blasphemy!!"
Ryuu finally broke, launching herself like a green comet—
Laughter filled the manor. The "two great familias disbanded" disaster that had suffocated them only moments earlier loosened its grip, if only a little.
Yes.
As long as everyone was here… there was nothing they couldn't endure.
"All right." Alise's voice snapped back into captain mode. "Bath done, dinner done—now we hold our post-expedition review and organize what we know."
"Xien, you can hear us fine from there, right?"
"Yes, Captain," Xien answered as evenly as he could. "Proceed."
His heart was doing suspicious things.
Because he was in the men's bath.
And the women's bath was separated by nothing but a tall wooden board—open at the top.
Which meant every sound carried.
Every.
Single.
Sound.
Alise had chosen this moment on purpose.
Xien stared at the wall like it had personally offended him.
The only thing he was grateful for was that Astraea-sama wasn't in there. Alise's evil plan had failed; the goddess had already bathed earlier.
"All right, first: congratulations." Alise's voice rang out. "Astraea Familia's grand expedition was a complete success. We shattered our old floor limit—and reached the Deep Floors."
"OOOOOOH!!"
Applause and cheers erupted.
It was hard-won. It was real. It was theirs.
"Second: the haul was massive—能力值, materials, and our finances." Alise sounded almost giddy. "If we liquidate the rare items, we're looking at at least hundreds of millions. For a while, we can breathe."
"And that's thanks to our lucky star—Xien."
"Too good!!"
"Old man—no, little brother—YOU'RE INSANE!"
"Seriously, the luck is illegal!"
Xien laughed, scratching his head. "Honestly? I'm confused too."
It really did feel like the Dungeon was… favoring him.
Which made no sense.
Then Alise's tone shifted. Her cheer drained into a steadier, heavier note.
"Now the bad news."
"Sorry, everyone. Tomorrow, operations return to normal. Rest days are postponed."
Silence. Then a soft chorus of understanding.
"Yeah… the city needs us."
"It's not like we can pretend nothing happened."
They were Astraea Familia. They had always known what they signed up for.
Alise exhaled slowly, relief flickering through her voice.
"Tomorrow: everyone except Xien coordinates with Ganesha Familia for emergency patrol coverage."
"Xien gets a special one-day leave. No objections."
"…Huh?" Xien blurted before he could stop himself.
No one objected.
Not a single person.
"Xien, obey the captain," Laira warned, tone light but absolute. "Or we'll get mad."
"You earned it," someone else added. "Rest for all of us too…"
"…Ugh, I'm jealous."
"Stop being pathetic," the prum snapped automatically—then sighed like she might cry too.
The expedition had made one fact indisputable:
Who had carried the heaviest load.
Even if Xien had monstrous stamina, that didn't mean he didn't need recovery. If anything, it meant he'd been burning himself for them without realizing it.
"…All right," Xien conceded, already feeling the weight of collective intent pressing down on him.
"Then that's it." Alise's voice softened. "After status updates, everyone sleeps early. We're going to be busy."
"Yes."
One by one, members emerged from Astraea's room holding their updated sheets, eyes shining.
No one gained less than five hundred points.
No one leveled up yet—but the growth was still so large it made their blood sing.
Kaguya, however, looked mildly vexed. Among the core group, she was the only one who hadn't leveled since… forever.
But her stats were near the cap.
And something hard settled behind her eyes.
Xien watched their faces and the too-high numbers, and a suspicion in his chest quietly sharpened into a blade.
Then—
It was his turn.
He entered the familiar room and drew a deep breath.
Astraea looked at him with pure warmth.
"What is it?" she asked gently. "Is something wrong?"
"No." Xien smiled faintly. "It's just… strange. When I come here, I feel safe."
Astraea's eyes softened even more.
"Then… that's wonderful."
She motioned him closer and pulled him into a warm embrace—no hesitation, no restraint.
"My good child," she murmured. "You've truly worked so hard."
Xien's mind—worn in a way his body refused to show—eased at once.
"Thank you, Astraea-sama."
"Now," she said, almost playful, "let's update your status. I think… it's time."
XienLevel: 2
Strength: SSS 1499Endurance: SSS 1499Dexterity: SSS 1499Agility: SSS 1499Magic: SSS 1499
Development Abilities: Hero IMagic: Touch of Abundance, One Thought—God and DemonSkills: Blazing Heart Revealed, Body of Abundance, Path of Life
Astraea's gaze lifted.
"That's… the cap."
Xien met her eyes, and they both laughed—quietly, almost in disbelief.
Astraea tapped the parchment with a fingertip.
"This time, what Development Ability do you want?"
"Mystery. Mage. Luck. Healer. Swordsman."
Each one was rare.
Xien's thoughts moved fast, clean, ruthless.
Healer? Abundance already covered that.Mage? He wasn't restricted by spell count anyway.Swordsman? He could sharpen that edge on his own.
That left two:
Mystery.Luck.
Xien didn't hesitate.
"Luck."
Astraea smiled like she'd already guessed it.
"All right."
A short while later—
XienLevel: 3
Strength: 10Endurance: 10Dexterity: 10Agility: 10Magic: 10
Development Abilities: Hero H, LuckMagic: Touch of Abundance, One Thought—God and DemonSkills: Blazing Heart Revealed, Body of Abundance, Path of Life
Xien exhaled.
He flexed his fingers slowly.
Level 3.
A true Second-Class Adventurer now.
Not invincible.
But no longer helpless.
And that—right now—mattered.
After everyone left for emergency patrol rotations, Xien stepped out alone.
He had things to handle.
First stop:
The Adventurers' Guild.
Even in the morning, Orario never lacked bodies. The streets were a packed river of races and gears—dwarves, goblins, beastmen, civilians, armed adventurers.
The city looked alive.
That steadied him.
Then, halfway there—
Someone blocked his path.
"Yo, kid. Can you lend a hand?"
A traveler-looking god in a cowboy hat stood there, holding a huge crate like it was about to crush him.
Xien recognized him immediately.
Without comment, he took the box.
It was heavy.
For a human body with sealed divinity, it would've been brutal.
For Xien now?
It was nothing.
"Ahhh, you saved me," the god sighed dramatically. "My kids were busy, so they made their god haul supplies. Thank you, kid."
"No problem," Xien replied evenly. "It's only natural, Lord Hermes."
Hermes blinked.
"…Oh? You know me?"
"I've heard Astraea-sama mention you," Xien said. "You and your familia have been doing important work for this city."
That line hit Hermes like a divine smite.
His smile collapsed into instant tears.
"Waaah…! Astraea understands me?!" he sobbed openly. "Of course she does! She's the mother of us all! Ah—this praise—my motivation is overflowing!"
Xien merely let his lips curve, keeping his thoughts to himself.
Hermes wiped his eyes, still sniffing.
Then he tilted his head, studying the boy who'd just leveled up again—like he was looking at a puzzle that had decided to smile back.
And somewhere behind the humor in his gaze, something sharper quietly woke.
....
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