Roy didn't pay attention to the adventurers trailing him, but their eyes were drawn to him—specifically, to the holy pistol in his hand.
"Hey, where'd this rookie come from? Using a magic sword to take out a few Kobolds!" one adventurer scoffed.
The term "magic sword" referred not just to swords but to special armaments imbued with magic power, capable of storing and releasing spells.
Even adventurers without magical talent could wield them to unleash their stored magic.
However, magic swords were consumables.
Their magic had a limited number of uses, after which they either lost their power, crumbled, or became ordinary weapons.
Because of this, magic swords were rare and costly.
Adventurers who obtained one treated it as a trump card, used only in critical moments.
Yet here was a young adventurer casually using one to dispatch Kobolds.
Kobolds, Level 1 monsters found on the upper floors alongside others like Goblins, were weak enough that even a Level 1 adventurer could defeat them with minimal effort.
Using a magic sword on them was reckless.
"He didn't even pick up the magic stones. What kind of prodigal is this guy?" another adventurer muttered, stunned.
After Roy used the pistol to eliminate the Kobolds, he ignored the fallen magic stones and walked away.
Though small, those stones could still fetch a few thousand valis—a decent sum for low-class adventurers, who typically earned 10,000 to 20,000 valis daily in the dungeon.
The adventurers paused, watching Roy.
Once certain he wasn't returning for the stones, their faces lit up with greed.
"Lili, what are you standing there for? Pick up those magic stones!" one barked, kicking the Pallum supporter beside him, urging her forward to collect Roy's discarded loot.
Though worth only a few thousand valis, it was a windfall for them.
The supporter, Liliruca Arde, stumbled from the kick, nearly falling, but silently obeyed.
She trudged forward, squatted with difficulty under her oversized backpack, and gathered the scattered stones.
"What a waste," the adventurer sneered.
As a low-class adventurer, bullying a weaker supporter like Lili was his only source of satisfaction.
"Boss, that guy was alone, right?" another whispered, gesturing subtly.
"He doesn't care about wasting a magic sword. He's gotta be loaded."
"You got kicked in the head by a Minotaur or something?" the team leader snapped.
"You think you can take on someone with a magic sword?"
"But, Boss, we owe the monthly tribute, and we're nowhere near enough."
"If we don't pay up, we won't get our share of this month's divine wine," the adventurer whined.
They were from the Soma Familia, which required members to pay a monthly tribute for a taste of divine wine brewed by their god, Soma.
The wine's intoxicating allure was addictive, like a drug, driving them to desperation.
"There's still time. If we're short, we'll figure it out," the leader said after a pause.
Roy seemed troublesome, and his origins were unclear.
If he was from a powerful familia, crossing him could be suicide.
Unaware he'd been targeted for his behavior, Roy quickly reached the surface.
Dusk had settled, and the entrance to Babel was bustling with adventurers emerging from the dungeon.
"Is that the guy who beat Loki Familia's Amazon?" a sharp-eyed adventurer whispered, recognizing Roy as the rookie who'd made waves in the arena yesterday.
"Who'd he beat? That Level 5? You're joking," another scoffed, skeptical.
Many hadn't attended the arena match, so their first reaction was disbelief.
"Look at him. No decent gear. How could he beat her?"
"It's true! I saw it myself. In the arena, he took down high-class adventurers and made Tiona concede."
"No way. Wasn't it staged? The arena's run by the Ganesha Familia, right? They love their theatrics."
Roy's appearance—wearing only a plain uniform—looked shabby compared to the well-equipped adventurers around him.
His lack of armor sparked debate, but they didn't know he had near immortality.
Armor, which hindered movement, was useless to him; attacks that could harm him would shred it like paper.
High-class armor offered some protection but was too expensive for his current funds.
Ignoring the chatter, Roy headed to the guild and posted a request for adventurers to accompany him to the lower floors.
Afterward, he returned to his familia's home.
Pushing open the door, Roy was greeted by a figure rushing toward him.
Hestia hugged his arm affectionately, her softness pressing against him.
Roy smiled helplessly, letting her pull him inside without resistance.
"It was your first day in the dungeon, and you spent the whole day there?" Hestia's voice carried worry.
"Don't worry, I know my limits. You know my strength. There was no danger," Roy said with a smile.
"That's exactly why I'm worried," Hestia countered, launching into a lecture.
"The dungeon is dangerous. Even with your strength, you can't be careless. Many adventurers fall because they overestimate themselves."
"Yes, yes, Hestia," Roy nodded, humoring her.
"I didn't go deep. I stayed in the upper floors, fighting Level 1 monsters. They're no threat to me."
Though Hestia's preaching felt redundant, Roy didn't mind. Compared to an empty home, her heartfelt concern was comforting.
"Still, you can't be too careful!" Hestia said, smiling.
"Take off your shirt. Let's update your status."
Roy nodded, curious about his growth, particularly how his skills, Greed and Arrogance, had affected it.
Without them, today's gains—fighting only low-class monsters—would likely pale compared to yesterday's arena battles.
Hestia updated Roy's status as usual.
Pride: Immune to negative mental interference. Immune to psychic detection. Allows ranking without much excelia, requiring maxed basic abilities. Can use any god to rank up or independently rank up.
Greed: Greatly accelerates growth rate. Increases basic ability caps. Increases skill and magic caps.
Lust: Boosts appeal to the opposite sex. Grants top-tier charm, effective on one target when active.
Envy: Briefly seals a target's skill or magic.
Wrath: Temporarily boosts own basic abilities significantly.
Gluttony: Rapid recovery via consuming absorbable items.
Sloth: Immune to negative physical effects (poison, sluggishness, etc.).
Hestia's eyes widened at the basic abilities stats.
After double-checking for errors, she exhaled in relief.
"Roy, you didn't face intense battles, yet you've grown more than yesterday. It must be your skills."
"I figured," Roy said, noting her shock.
"I thought they'd boost my growth, but this is beyond expectation."
"I overestimated your skills before," Hestia admitted, her heart racing.
An increase of over 1,600 points across basic abilities was staggering.
From past chats with Hephaestus, she knew a good dungeon run might boost stats by 50 points.
Roy's growth defied reason.
Having weathered yesterday's shock, Hestia recovered quickly.
"By the way, Roy, I might stay with Hephaestus for a bit in the coming days," she added casually.
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter