Ren thought for a moment, then told everything that had happened in the dungeon.
"Ren, you just reached Lv2. Why did you challenge the floor boss?" Hestia ignored the Loki Familia girl beside her and looked at Ren with concern.
"Sorry about that. It won't happen again." Noticing Hestia's worry, Ren bowed his head and apologized. He only wanted to test the limits of his current strength, but from the result, he still couldn't be sure.
"Honestly, now tell me properly about the Loki Familia. Ren, you…" Hestia felt uneasy inside.
"Lady Hestia, I will never abandon you. Here, you are my only goddess. I don't want anyone else but you." Ren held Hestia's hands tightly and spoke sincerely.
"Ren." Hestia suddenly hugged him, clinging to him. She knew that at first she might have just been a substitute, but after spending so much time together, their feelings had changed.
"That's… a bit embarrassing. Can you get down?" Ren felt the softness against his chest and tensed up.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? I don't mind even if you sweat." Hestia said cheerfully.
"I do mind." Ren carefully pulled her off himself.
After taking a bath, Ren lay on his bed, thinking about what to do next. He had a goal before and had been busy, but suddenly he cleared the dungeon quickly, leaving him unsure of what to do.
Still, he knew he had to show his power in front of people. That feeling—whoever experiences it knows—was truly exhilarating.
The next day, Ren went to the Adventurers' Guild. Now he walked tall, accepting the stares around him—some envious, some mocking, some doubtful.
He treated the mocking and doubtful ones as jealousy and approached Eina. "These are items dropped by the floor boss. Could you help check how much they can sell for?"
"One moment, please." Eina took the items and walked toward the counter.
"Re…n." The elf girl came in front of him, accompanied by Tiona and Riveria.
"Thank you. Sorry for troubling you." Riveria said softly.
"Are you okay now, Lefiya?" Ren looked at her.
"Mm." Lefiya nodded slightly, her long ears twitching. Yesterday, Tiona had analyzed the situation for her. The man in front of her seemed to like her, and just thinking about it made her a little flustered.
"What's wrong?" Ren found the girl's reaction strange.
"N-nothing." Lefiya took a few steps back.
"?" Ren didn't understand. He really didn't understand.
"Lefiya." Riveria scolded her.
"S-sorry about that." Lefiya bowed deeply.
"Even though I don't know what happened, there's no need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. Since it's fine now, I have other things to take care of." Ren pointed toward Eina not far away.
"You focus on that, Ren. Don't worry about us." Tiona spoke first.
"Lefiya, what were you doing just now?" Riveria held her forehead.
"Uh… I was just thinking about yesterday." Lefiya lowered her head.
"No matter what, someone helping you is the truth." Riveria held her forehead again.
"The guy from the Hestia Familia just reached Lv2 and teamed up with the Lv3 adventurers from the Loki Familia to take down the floor boss, Goliath?"
"This is actually true."
"Lv2 and already challenging the floor boss? Brave or just reckless?"
"Hmph, boring."
With the announcement from the Adventurer Guild, all the adventurers on site were shocked. Looking at Ren and Lefiya was like seeing a ghost.
After exchanging his money, Ren enjoyed the curious stares from those around him. After clearing this world so quickly, he felt this was the only thing left to pursue in life.
"Little brother, you're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Tiona came up and patted him on the shoulder.
"Is it that obvious?" Ren turned to look at her.
"It's written all over your face…" That was the common thought among the guild adventurers.
"Hahaha." Ren laughed.
"Um, Ren… could I invite you to dinner tonight?" Lefiya looked at him cautiously.
"Sure, I'll bring a companion. Where should we meet?" Ren was in a very good mood.
"At the Hostess of Fertility," Lefiya thought for a moment. This spot would have better food.
He agreed with her choice. After finishing his business, Ren left immediately. He felt conflicted about whether to update his data. Updating now might scare his Loli Goddess.
"So, are you heading to the dungeon next?" Riveria asked.
"Yes," Ren replied after thinking. He still had work to do and couldn't just stay in the city to level up.
"Mind if we team up with you?" Riveria gestured toward the surrounding area.
"Sure." Ren noticed them too. They were a group of shady adventurers. Without Riveria and the others, they might have attacked immediately.
The group left the Adventurers' Guild and headed toward the dungeon.
"That's enough. They're gone now. Thank you. You can go your own way," Ren said, turning and leaving.
His refusal left them with no choice but to go alone. Of course, he intended to verify Lefiya's results.
Arriving at the dungeon alone, the dark cave awaited him. The seventeenth-floor boss hadn't respawned yet. Ren planned to go deeper, partly to lure out some dark forces.
Sure enough, a few sneaky figures followed him. Ren smirked. PVP was always fun. He hoped someone strong would show up.
Behind the group, Loki Familia was also following, including Ais.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Lefiya asked, worried.
"We're following him, and with Ais here, he'll be fine," Tiona reassured her, patting her shoulder. Indeed, if the target was Lefiya, Ren had already succeeded in catching her attention.
They reached the nineteenth floor, even skipping the safe levels, which made everyone tense.
"Everyone, after following for so long, what do you think?" Ren looked at the figures in the corner.
"If you saw us, why only speak now?" one of the leaders asked.
"Which Familia are you from?" Ren asked.
"The Apollo Familia. Our master wants you to come with us. You're only Lv2. You can't defeat me." The leader revealed his aura, cracking the ground beneath his feet.
"Lv4?" Ren was curious. He didn't think they were that strong.
"Correct, but no reward for you," the man said. He was an assassin, moving so fast that the other Lv2s couldn't even see him clearly.
Lefiya urged, "Tiona, go help him quickly…"
"No need," Ais shook her head, her gaze fixed on Ren in the center holding his sword. His aura had changed. The gentle kitten had become a soaring eagle, eyes capturing every prey in the area.
"So, can you find me? Lord Apollo doesn't want you dead. Be smart and surrender, come back with us." The man's voice echoed, and his followers shouted in encouragement.
**********
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