Crunch, crunch comes the sound of something chewing the earth.

Light spills down from the ceiling, lighting up the pale green walls in every direction around me. Im standing in a square space within the dungeon simply called a room.

Ive got the Divine Knife from Hestia aimed at the ground chewer, the blade coming out the bottom of my hand.

The thing has four legs, two thin arms, and two big eyes. Its body looks like a giant red ant.

What makes it different from a normal ant is that its as tall as I am when it hoists its upper body up, pivoting around its hunched-over midsection.

A killer ant.

Its a monster that first shows up on lower level seven. Ive heard that its called a newbie killer, just like the Wall Shadow on the sixth level.

It got that nickname due to its thick skin and strength that puts lower-level monsters like goblins to shame. The killer ants skin is so tough that it might as well be armor. Halfhearted attacks bounce right off the living shell, and piercing that outer layer is no easy task.

There are four sharp claws at the ends of its arms. Warped and curved, the deadly weapons dangling in front of its body give me the creeps.

Those claws carve people up before they can break through the ants defenses. Thats the usual pattern.

Adventurers who are used to the monsters down to the fifth level dont expect these ants to be all that smart, and tend to become said ants afternoon snack.

Gegii!

Click, click, click. The killer ant snaps its mandibles together, chewing the air.

One more thingthis monster can summon other buddies. It doesnt call out to them but releases some kind of pheromone that humans cant smell to gather its friends. I hear it happens when theyre in a pinch.

Its a handy combination of toughness and teamwork. But for an adventurer, its a recipe for disaster.

Anyway, I have to take it out fast. A quick strike to a vital spot is my best bet.

The ant and I stare each other down, both of us taking a few steps forward.

Yah!

I make the first move. Absorbing the first blow and counterattacking really isnt my thing.

It charges right at me, its right arm raised high. I meet it head-on, jumping in close to its body.

I catch a flash of a white arc out of the corner of my left eyeslash!

Im just a blink faster. The monsters claws, along with a good part of its arm, go flying.

Giii!!!!

The monsters right side, its armand weaponsare gone. Its shrieks of pain fill my ears as I brace the Divine Knife for impact.

The recommended method for killing a killer ant is to aim for the space between the solid shells at the joints, to hit the soft flesh beneath. It might be hard for a newbie adventurer to pull off, but at least thats the theory.

However, Ive decided to ignore that.

No armand no weaponmeans its defenses are weak on the right side. I jam the jet-black blade between its head and thorax.

I can feel the thick skin around its neck tear as my blade passes through.

The feeling doesnt last long. The blade glides through the monsters flesh without much resistance. All thats left is to finish it off with a flick of the wrist.

Shing! The blade hits a good note as it slides out from under the ants neck, sending its head flying to the ground.

A purple liquid dribbles out of the open wound, an insectoid expression of surprise at this turn of events still on the monsters head as it crashes to the dungeon floor.

The headless body stands there for a moment, not realizing something is missing. A few breaths later, it notices and falls like a bag of rocks.

Yep, that was good!

I flick the purple goo off the Divine Knife before taking a closer look at it.

It fits perfectly in the palm of my hand. Its almost like we grew up together, or it grew into my hand.

Its potency, too, leaves nothing to be desired. The blade cut through that killer ants armor like a hot knife through butter.

Amazing! This is the strength of a Hephaistos-made weapon!

A gift from my goddess!

With the look of a kid who just got a new toy, I set to work on the slain monster to get the magic stone within its chest.

In reality, Im not all that different from a child. I feel like I did on my birthday when Gramps gave me Dungeon Oratoria, a picture book filled with images of famous heroes. It was so special to me, I was afraid to open it at first for fear that it would get dirty.

Of course this present would be wasted if I didnt use it, but the feeling is the same.

Thank you, Goddess

I smile as her face floats into my mind. Shes been so busy lately; Ill have to find time to thank her properly.

I will get strong. Strong enough to be worthy of this weaponstrong enough to make my goddess proud.

Returning the blade to the sheath tucked into my lower back, I set off to find my next target on the seventh level.

What floor?!

Agh! Bell let out a scream. The cause of his pathetic squeal was a frowning Eina Tulle fuming with anger and glaring right at him.

Bell had made a triumphant return to the Guild after prowling the seventh floor with the assistance of Hestias Knife. Hed gotten the money from all of his magic stones and drop items at the Exchange and went to give his adviser an update with a big smile on his face. But the second he said, Seventh level, his good mood came to an abrupt end.

What is with you?! Does nothing I say stay inside that thick skull of yours?! Going from the fifth to the seventh?! Are you insane?!

S-s-s-s-ssorry!

Wham! Eina slammed both of her hands down onto the table. Her emerald eyes burned, her head leaning to the side. Bell was little more than a frog being stared down by a python.

Eina was angry because Bell was showing no concern for his safety and lightheartedly entering deeper floors. He was adventuring, and it was that with which she took exception.

Tell me, just who was it that was nearly killed by a Minotaur only one week ago?

Uh, m-me?

Then just why are you doing this?! Do you not understand how dangerous it is, after all youve been through?!

I-Im sorry! Bell said, his eyes filling with tears. This was by far the angriest he had ever seen her. Eina was going all out. Her desire to keep Bell alive was turning her into an ogre.

A newbie adventurer with not even a month of experience going deeper than the fifth was the same as suicide.

The dungeon layout became more complicated after the fifth level, not to mention there were more powerful monsters. Bell went down to the seventh levelif the killer ant had called its friends, he wouldnt have made it out alive. Killer ants were not a pack of Kobolds; they would tear a solo adventurer limb from limb.

You dont seem to understand the word dangerous. Not even close. Im going to fix that, right here and now!

Bell let out another pitiful cry, as he had become all too familiar with Einas Spartan-like style of guidance in the past few weeks.

Bell had seen everything she taught him in the field, but being able to say I understand, leave it to me to his adviser was entirely another matter. Bell rushed to explain.

Please, wait! I, um, grew quite a lot since then, Ms. Eina!

Quite a lot is quite a claim from someone whos only just gotten to grade H!

N-no, its true! Several of my basic abilities are already at E!

E?

Eina froze on the spot, her eyes open wide.

She didnt understand what he said at first, but when her mind sorted it out, she raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

Do you think you can fool me, making that kind of claim?

Its true, all of it! Maybe Im in some kind of growth spurt, but Im getting stronger very fast!

Really?

Eina cast her bewildered gaze at Bell as he nodded with all his might.

She hadnt been his adviser long, but she was able to tell when the boy in front of her was lying.

And according to her intuition, Bell was telling the truth.

Really, E?

Y-yes.

Eina put up her hands, palms forward, as if to say wait a minute.

The remaining grades were S, A, B, C, D, then E. She counted them out on her fingers, nodding to herself, saying, Hmmmm. One more timeS, A, B, C, D, Esix again. Same as before.

Eina was now officially confused. She didnt completely doubt Bell, but that rate of growth sounded like it came out of a horror story.

Eina had guessed grade H because that was the highest ability level for adventurers with Bells amount of experience. H was the highest believable amount of growth over that span of time, and that was only for the really gifted individuals.

G was already ridiculous, and anything above FThat was just too fast, no matter how she thought about it.

If Bell had been a warrior before hed become an adventurer, with combat training of some kind, then she might have been able to accept it, maybe. But he was a farmer. Still, he didnt look like he was lying at all

Hm-hm-hmmm Eina said as she stroked her chin with her pointer finger, not able to figure out which was true.

Bell sat there silently, watching her as if she could explode at any moment.

HeyBell.

Y-yes, maam?

Would you mind showing me the status on your back?

Huh?!

A high-pitched gasp escaped Bells throat as he looked at Einas serious face.

Its not that I dont believe what youre saying, its just

She looked away, shaking her hands back and forth, trying to make sure Bell didnt get the wrong idea.

She felt that the most reasonable explanation was that Bells goddess, Hestia, had made a mistake when transcribing Bells status.

Or perhaps there was a misunderstanding somewhere.

The idea that Bell had improved to grade E stats was just that inconceivable for her.

Eina wasnt going to believe a single word out of Bells mouth until she saw undeniable proof.

B-but the number one thing that adventurers arent supposed to reveal is their statusright?

All the citys adventurers were under the jurisdiction of the Guild and were forbidden from giving out personal information to anyone, including Guild employees. Their levels and Familias were reported, but nothing more than that.

There were also adventurers who had special skills and magic. The relationships of the gods and their Familias were constantly changing. Todays friend might be tomorrows foe. Information was tightly protected to cover potential weaknesses.

I give you my word that I will not tell a soul what I will see. Ill take full responsibility if your status becomes public. If that happens, I swear I will obey you.

Obey? Hang on, Ms. Eina, you can read hieroglyphics?

Yes, but only a little. I think I can read enough to understand statuses, though.

Eina had attended her fair share of school and had excelled in theological studies. She could certainly read and write simple hieroglyphs.

If I dont see it with my own two eyes, I will never clear you to go deeper than the fifth level.

That definitely would cause a lot of problems for me

I promise I wont look at your magic or skill slots, so, please?

I dont have any skills or magic anyway, so that wouldnt change a thingbut okay.

Bell gave in to Einas request as she bowed forward and clapped her hands together.

Eina had done so much to support Bell in the past; he felt that she deserved his complete trust, just like Hestia. Bell had no reason not to take her at her word.

Well, umIll take off my clothes now?

If youre embarrassed enough to blush, dont check with me first! Youll make me uncomfortable, too!

Both of their cheeks flushed red as Bell stood up and faced a far corner of the wide room. A flustered Bell unhooked his armor and quickly pulled off his undershirt.

Rather than immediately focusing on the status engraved on the boys back, Einas eyes were drawn to his remarkably chiseled back muscles for a brief moment. Shaking her head a bit, she forced her eyes back to the hieroglyphs.

Her pointed ears turned a light shade of red as her eyes scanned the markings left to right.

Bell Cranell

Level One

Strength: E-403 Defense: H-199 Utility: E-412 Agility: D-521 Magic: I-0