Back in his room, Roland threw himself onto the bed.
"Adventuring is hard work... Let's check the new skills."
The system had unlocked [Knee Kick] and [Magic Cannon], though they didn't seem particularly powerful yet.
'If I use the shockwave from Knee Kick through my spear, maybe it'll work? And I'll try elemental combos with Magic Cannon tomorrow.' With his plans set, he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Roland woke up to the first light of dawn. His stomach was growling fiercely. 'Maybe the fast growth requires more calories?' He washed up and headed to the kitchen.
As he got closer, a rich aroma filled the air. Who was cooking this early?
It was the Goddess Astraea herself!
"Morning, Goddess! Are you making breakfast? I'm starving," Roland said, peering over her shoulder.
"Good morning, Roland. How did you sleep?"
"Great, but my stomach woke me up. Ahaha."
"I figured you'd be hungry. It'll be ready in a moment." Astraea smiled with a hint of pride. "I'm a goddess, but currently, I'm just a 'human.' I can't help you much in the Dungeon, so the least I can do is the housework. Is there anything you like to eat?"
"I'll love anything you make, Lady Astraea. But... some sausage and egg custard would be amazing."
"Fufu, no problem. I'll make it for you from now on. Just tell me whenever you want something specific."
Breakfast consisted of milk, bread, steak, porridge, and fruit.
When the Goddess placed the food before Roland, his stomach was already growling audibly. Astraea sat across from him, resting her chin on her hand with a motherly smile, watching him expectantly.
"Go on, try it. Is it good?"
'Are you some kind of perfect housewife from somewhere? I might actually fall in love with you, Goddess!' Roland thought. Fortunately, gods could only detect lies, not read minds. Keeping his stray thoughts to himself, Roland began to wolf down the meal.
"Don't the others need to eat too?"
"Everyone wakes up at different times," she replied. "Besides, there are no major expeditions lately, so it's fine to let them sleep a bit longer."
"I see."
"Ah, that reminds me—Alise bought you a new weapon as a gift. I'll go get it for you. You should replace that broken one."
"I'll go with you," Roland said, wiping his mouth and following her.
Alise had bought him a new 1.8-meter spear, crafted from materials dropped by monsters in the Dungeon. She had also included a small knife as a bonus gift.
"And take these elixirs. Use them if you get hurt—don't think of them as a waste. Even though you have a powerful trump card like [Immortal Body], you never know what might happen in the Dungeon."
Roland looked at the items and felt the warmth of the Goddess's care.
"I understand. I'll be careful in the Dungeon. After all, I might become a hero in the future, but right now, I'm still weak, right? My Goddess," Roland said with a grin.
"Mhm, that's right. Now, take your lunch; I'm sure you won't be back by noon. But make sure you're home before dinner, understood? We'll wait for you so we can enjoy a meal together."
The Goddess approached Roland with the lunch box, meticulously straightening his clothes.
"Is this my home?" Roland asked softly.
"Do you feel like it isn't?"
Roland took a deep breath and walked to the door with her.
"Well then, I'll see you off here," the Goddess said gently.
"Mhm."
Standing at the gate, Roland turned back and waved vigorously at Astraea. "I'm heading out! I'll be home by dinner, Goddess!"
The Goddess waved back, her smile lingering as he departed.
Upon reaching the first floor of the Dungeon, Roland felt the physical strength he had gained from the previous night's status update. But exactly how much stronger he had become was something only combat could determine.
For now, he planned to stay between the 1st and 6th floors. He would need to test the 7th floor later by killing a few monsters to see if he was ready. Although floors 1 through 12 were considered the "Upper Floors"—suitable for Level 1 adventurers—it all depended on whether one's stats were up to the task.
Monster strength varied wildly between floors. On the 12th floor, monsters like Silverbacks or rare Infant Dragons could kill a Level 2 adventurer if they were careless. Furthermore, floors 13 through 24 were the "Middle Floors," a forbidden zone for Level 1s; it was virtually impossible for a Level 1 to survive past the 13th floor.
But that was a concern for later.
As Roland stepped into a monster grotto on the first floor, the Dungeon "welcomed" him by spawning six Goblins from the walls.
"I'm quite popular, aren't I? But you guys aren't the main course today. I don't want to waste too much time on you, so let's use you to test my new skills," Roland muttered.
His plan was to test his skills, head to the 6th floor to train his stats, and then use magic to blast his way back. He intended to become an "all-rounder" warrior.
Driven by mana, his spear let out a sharp hum as a gale gathered at its tip. With a powerful sweep, Roland cleaved three Goblins in half. He then tried an alternative use for a skill he had unlocked the night previous. He tossed his spear into the air and struck it with a [Knee Kick]—or rather, the palm-strike version of the impact. There was a dull thud, and the spear shot forward, impaling a Goblin, but no shockwave followed.
'Strange,' he mused.
Without stopping, he released a flurry of magic orbs at the remaining Goblins. He experimented with different elemental versions, but the damage didn't vary much. They either had speed but no power, or power but no speed. 'It's faster just to stab them. My level must be too low.'
Though the monsters here were weak, they were endless. Constant fighting would eventually exhaust him, so he had to manage his stamina. He moved quickly, bypassing most of the upper levels until he reached the 6th floor.
Four Shadows spawned in sequence and lunged at him, their claws swinging like grim reapers' scythes. Without Kaguya there to watch his back, Roland felt a spike of genuine fear. He suppressed his nerves, gripped his spear with both hands, and parried the claws of the two Shadows on his left. Using the momentum, he swung the spear in a wide arc, smashing the head of the Shadow on his right and sending two of them crashing into the wall.
He leapt back to dodge a follow-up, thrusting his spear forward to impale a Shadow that couldn't recover in time. As the whistle of another claw reached his ears, he drew his knife to block the strike and followed up with a quick jab to the vitals.
"Two left. Let's try some hand-to-hand," Roland said, putting his spear into his inventory.
He charged forward, engaging the Shadows in a close-quarters brawl. He dodged several strikes, grabbed a Shadow's arm, and slammed a [Knee Kick] (palm strike) into it. A special mana fluctuation rippled out; the Shadow was sent flying into the last one, and this time, a shockwave actually erupted, blasting them both back. Roland rushed in to deliver a finishing blow, ending the fight.
After a long session of slaughter on the 6th floor, Roland was covered in scratches. He had even been sniped by Frog Shooters from a distance, but he had shredded their tongues with his wind-enhanced spear.
He rested and consumed one red potion and two elixirs. The system-provided red potions seemed more effective. He made a mental note to give some mana potions to the Captain later, as he currently had more mana than he could use.
It was now noon. He found a safe spot to eat the lunch the Goddess had prepared.
[Personal Info]
Name: Roland
Level: LV10 (System Level)
Unlocked Skills:[Ghost Flame], [Teleport], [Flame Shield].
[Ghost Flame] creates two floating embers that increase physical and magic defense and can be fired at enemies. [Teleport] allows him to blink six or seven meters away. [Flame Shield] generates a fire barrier that can be launched forward or held for defense.
With his level reaching 10, his control over elements had improved. He realized he could modify [Flame Shield] into an Ice or Wind version. He spent the afternoon experimenting, hunting down Shadows to test his mana capacity. He summoned Ghost Flames, teleported behind a monster, and blasted it.
"Whoa, the damage is great! Now, Flame Shield!"
He condensed a 1.5-meter rotating shield of fire and launched it. It plowed through the corridor like a wall of flame, exploding upon contact. Two Shadows were incinerated instantly, leaving nothing but a charred crater—even the magic stones and materials were destroyed.
He then tried combining elements. With fire in one hand and a gale in the other, he merged them into a Fire Tornado. The vortex tore through the floor, lifting debris and melting the walls. The temperature in the corridor rose by over ten degrees before he cut the mana supply.
"Phew. I guess my true calling is being a glass cannon," Roland noted, satisfied.
Finally, he tested a Point-Blank Area of Effect (PBAoE) burst. He teleported into the center of a mob, released a volcanic eruption of fire, and blinked away just as a "fire cage" collapsed inward, detonating in a massive fireball. The explosion was so violent he had to conjure an ice wall for protection.
"That's terrifying. I might not be able to party with anyone if I keep this up. I need to learn to control the output, or I'll blow up the loot too."
He cooled the area with a water orb, packed three bags of magic stones and materials into his inventory, and began his journey back to the surface.