After the matter with the Soma Familia concluded, Roy rested for three days.
Once the three days passed, Roy prepared equipments and potions before entering the dungeon again.
This time, Roy ventured into the dungeon alone. When he passed the 24th floor, he bought a deep floor map.
However, the map only went up to the 41st floor, which left Roy a bit disappointed.
If there had been a map below the 49th floor, he might have rushed straight to those floors, completed random tasks, and earned dimension points.
Unfortunately, deep floor maps—especially those past the 45th floor—were considered guild secrets.
Only a few major Familia possessed such maps; most others had no access.
Roy had once considered blasting through the ceilings between floors, but that idea proved impractical.
On the 41st floor, he'd tried punching through to the 42nd, creating a passage.
But it wasn't a single blast; it required multiple attempts.
The deep floors were vast, each floor wider than cities, with ceilings ridiculously high.
Blasting passages easily led to getting lost.
Moreover, the dungeon's recovery was faster than on upper floors.
If the passage wasn't large enough, the dungeon could trap someone inside.
Monsters would also spawn in the blasted passages, blocking adventurers and slowing progress.
After one attempt, Roy abandoned the method.
He didn't want to get stuck in a wall.
"I recall things change after the 50th floor," Roy thought.
In his memory, from the 51st floor onward, the situation differed greatly.
The guild called post-51st floors "hell."
Lower floor monsters even blasted through barriers from the 51st floor to snipe adventurers with magic.
"But I can't push deeper right now," Roy said with a helpless smile.
He'd run out of food except for potions, and his space was nearly full of magic stones and drop items.
Going further meant foraging in the dungeon.
While the dungeon produced some edibles, most were poisonous.
Sloth granted immunity to most toxins, but dungeon food tasted awful.
He'd rather not suffer needlessly.
Roy chose to exit the dungeon.
[Development Ability]: Blacksmith I, Swordsman C, Mage I, Mystery I
This was Roy's last Status update after entering the dungeon.
"So slow—the monsters on these floors give too little Excelia," Roy sighed.
He'd stayed in the dungeon for nearly ten days, with six or seven dedicated to killing monsters, excluding travel time.
In the past, he'd have ranked up long ago.
Unfortunately, all his basic abilities had now reached S.
To truly rank up, there was still a long way to go.
By his estimate, for Level 3 to advance, all basic abilities needed to reach SSS.
If other adventurers heard Roy's complaints, they'd likely cry.
They toiled year-round in the dungeon just to raise one basic ability a small rank, with many never glimpsing S.
After reaching the surface, Roy went to the guild to register his rank-up.
"You mean Level 3?" Eina's eyes widened in shock, her expression freezing as she blurted out, "Not Level 2?"
"It's Level 3. I forgot to register my Level 2 rank-up with the guild and went straight to the dungeon," Roy nodded.
Misha, emerging with documents, froze upon hearing him. She couldn't hold them steady, dropping them one by one.
Like Eina, her mouth gaped in shock.
"Really Level 3?" Eina confirmed again, incredulous.
"My strength was solid before. The falna just unlocked my untapped potential, so my rank-ups are a bit faster."
"It's not just a bit faster…" Eina muttered, still reeling.
"You've been an adventurer for less than a month, right?" Eina took a deep breath, her expression complex.
It wasn't just a one-month double rank-up—it was unbelievable.
What was the guild's fastest rank-up record?
Roy had shattered it, thousands of times over.
"About twenty days," Roy nodded.
"May I see your Status?" Eina asked, then quickly added, "Not that I doubt you—it's just too extraordinary."
"Even reporting this will trigger a review, so I need to confirm. I'll only check your level, not other things."
"Can you read the sacred text?" Roy asked.
From the arena, a guild staffer had verified his Status.
"Only very simple words," Eina nodded.
Roy agreed, and they moved to the reception room.
He unbuttoned his shirt, exposing just the basic abilities while covering skills below with his clothes.
"It really is Level 3…" Eina sighed, staring at the data.
"And all S…" Glancing lower, she gasped even harder.
Most adventurers ranked up at D-rank stats; reaching S in one made someone a genius.
Yet, considering his pre-Status feats—defeating Level 4 adventurers and making Level 1-2s concede—it made sense. Without such stats, it'd be odd.
After confirming, Eina asked Roy to dress, but her gaze lingered on his back, and she reached out to touch it.
Firm, as expected from a seasoned adventurer.
"Hm?" Roy asked suddenly.
"All… all good! You can put your clothes on," Eina replied hastily, snapping back.
Her face flushed like an apple.
She'd touched Roy accidentally.
Eina's mind swirled; she didn't understand her impulse.
Maybe I should find a boyfriend?
Has he found a girl in Orario?
His rapid rank-ups meant most time in the dungeon—no chance for romance.
Plus, he'd joined the Hestia Familia, newly formed by a descended goddess.
Just him and Goddess Hestia in the Familia.
Fantasizing about my assigned adventurer!
Eina shook her head, banishing impure thoughts, and led Roy back to the front desk.
"Well?" Misha approached curiously upon seeing them.
"Indeed Level 3," Eina nodded at Misha.
"Level 3?" Misha eyed Roy like a monster.
"Why so interested in my adventurer? What about your work?" Eina said helplessly.
"Work-life balance—that stuff can wait," Misha reasoned.
"Fine, now you know. Back to your counter," Eina pursed her lips. "Your adventurer's here for advice—don't disrupt mine."
Misha reluctantly returned to her counter, answering questions.
"Roy, just fill this form," Eina handed him one.
Roy scanned it; simpler than before, but with extras requiring a general rank-up process summary.
"You went to the lower floors…" Eina noted, glancing over. "Good thing your reputation's solid, or I'd struggle with my report."
Rank-ups were bulletin-board posted.
Roy's was outrageous.
Without his record of beating high-class adventurers, she'd fail explaining to superiors.
"Is that… Loki?" Roy spotted a group exiting a guild passage: Loki and some figures, likely guild staff.
Surrounded by them, Loki left.
"The Loki Familia plans a dungeon expedition soon, so they're reporting," Eina explained.
"Expedition?" Roy's eyes lit up.
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter