Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

It seems the injury to his right knee is having a significant impact.

Hestia couldn't bear to watch any longer, so while resenting her own shortness, she reluctantly stood on tiptoe and let Bell lean on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry..."

"You've been apologizing all day. If you really feel embarrassed, you should reflect on your actions."

"Okay, okay... I'm sorry."

"Look, here we go again."

The two walked towards the shower room, their bodies pressed together. Next to the bed at the far end of the room, there was a white door that looked like a makeshift wooden structure. The chain wobbled precariously, and the door was slightly crooked.

Hestia used all her strength to support Bell's body, when suddenly she remembered something and spoke:

"Bell, you'll be sleeping on the bed later. Okay?"

"May I……?"

"Of course. I'm not so corrupt as to ask you to sleep on the sofa in this situation, am I?"

The injured man needed a good night's sleep. Hestia wanted to provide him with the best possible environment, so she gave up her own bedding. As she said this, a mischievous thought crossed her mind.

She looked at Belle with a malicious smile.

"In return, how about I sleep in the same bed? I've been running around looking for you, I'm almost exhausted... Hehe, you wouldn't refuse, would you?"

"Ah, that's true. Even gods get tired. Well then, let's go to sleep together."

"...What?!"

Not only was her joke ignored, but she also received a fierce backlash, leaving Hestia speechless for a moment. "You should be panicking," she thought to herself. Then she thought, "Why should I be the one panicking?"

He seemed utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, and had lost the ability to think. Perhaps Bell didn't understand what Hestia had told him.

Damn it, Bell, how dare you be so arrogant...!

Hestia gritted her teeth, her face flushed, her heart pounding with anticipation for what was to come.

I want to hold him. I absolutely want to hold him.

I wanted to bury my face in his chest and rub against him, fully enjoying the boy's body.

It's settled. Bell can't escape now. (Swallows saliva.)

"Gods..."

"...W-What is it?"

Hestia responded to the other person's faint volume with a voice an octave higher.

Hestia waited for his next words, worried that her wicked thoughts might have been seen through.

"...I really want to become stronger."

"!"

She was startled and looked at the boy's expression.

His gaze was fixed on something that wasn't there.

Hestia gasped at Bell's expression, then lowered her eyes and replied sincerely, "Hmm..."

▣

Bell Craney

LV.1

Strength: H120→G221 Durability: I42→H101 Dexterity: H139→G232 Agility: G225→F313 Magic: 10

"magic"

【】

"Skill"

【Heartfelt longing】

·precocious.

• Maintains the effect while simultaneously expressing feelings of longing

The stronger the longing, the greater the effect.

“——”

Hestia stopped what she was doing.

Below her gaze lay her slender back. There, neatly arranged like a page from an ancient book, was the overall composition of [Sacred Script]—[Ability Values].

With trembling eyes, she endured the growth process revealed by the "divine grace" bestowed upon a human being.

It's been a night since Bell returned.

Extreme fatigue meant that the two of them spent the entire previous day sleeping—Bell screamed in agony when he found himself sleeping next to Hestia—and now, having gotten up early, the two decided to update their [ability stats] first.

Hestia sat on Bell's back as usual, using her divine blood (ichor) to inscribe the [divine script]... There was only one difference from usual, that is, the [ability values] that slowly appeared on Bell's back began to show an unbelievable full picture.

——Too fast.

For Hestia, Bell, who joined her Familia, was the first person to whom she bestowed "divine grace." She only knew what she had heard about how this "grace" progressed, and was unaware of the details.

She knew nothing about advanced knowledge such as what methods could easily increase proficiency, or what rules governed the manifestation of magic and skills.

However, she knew that the [ability values] engraved on the children should not be "like this".

Too fast. The rate of increase in proficiency is simply abnormal.

This is not growth at all, it's a "leap".

(Other adventurers simply can't compare...)

If all adventurers grew at the same rate as Bell, more than half of them would have already reached the level 2, which is currently defined as "Level 3 Adventurer".

Those who are LV2—the core of adventurers—are almost all members of large [Familia]. The rest, who make up more than half of all adventurers, are still stuck at LV.1 and unable to climb up.

Bell, however, surpassed those who had been adventuring for one or two times longer than him, growing and developing with tremendous momentum.

Only at the very beginning can proficiency increase by more than 10 at a time. A god who was on good terms with Hestia once complained to her that the children's growth would soon encounter obstacles and hit a bottleneck.

Most people will face a high wall, and be troubled by the lack of progress in their growth.

(The reason for this rapid growth is...!)

Has something grown bigger in Bell's heart?

Hestia, who was the only one who knew the characteristics of the [Unwavering Aspiration] skill, subconsciously bit her lip.

According to God, it was a childlike emotion—jealousy made her heart waver.

"immortal?"

"!"

Perhaps surprised that Hestia had stopped, Bell turned his head slightly and looked up at her.

Hestia smiled and brushed it off, "Sorry, sorry," before resuming her work. No, she pretended to resume her work. The update to her [Ability Values] was almost complete long ago.

(What should I do...? Should I tell Bell the truth about these [ability values]...?)

Temporary confidence and temporary strength can lead to arrogance.

Hestia knew this very well. This wasn't just a human trait, but a common trait among children. Arrogance breeds carelessness, and carelessness calls for death.

She wanted to believe that Bell wasn't the kind of arrogant person; but on the other hand, Hestia, who doted on the boy excessively, also wanted to abandon the possibility of "maybe." "Maybe" she would lose Bell.

When weighing trust and worry on the scales, she always finds herself leaning towards the latter.

(But not reporting the truth would be deceiving the child...)

This behavior could hinder Bell's growth.

If you don't know the true power within you and spend all your time fighting opponents who are not up to your usual strength, how much room for growth can you have? In fact, in terms of the nature of [experience points], it is said that it is easier to increase proficiency by fighting monsters of equal or higher strength.

If Hestia were to convey false information at this time, even if she meant well, she might end up ruining Bell's wish.

A moment of silence fell over her.

(...You want to become stronger, right?)

In the end, Hestia chose to trust.

She suppressed her unease with self-control and forcefully tilted the scales to the other side.

Even though the phrase "wanting to become stronger" originated from a young boy's love, and seeing Bell was a step beyond his resolve, hoping to undergo a complete transformation—to do something that even the perfect gods (us) could not do, Hestia still wanted to help him.

"Bell, shall I tell you about the [Ability Values] verbally today?"

"Ah, okay, I don't mind..."

Looking into Bell's eyes as he gazed up at her, Hestia told him about her extraordinary rate of growth.

However, she concealed the existence of the skill "Unwavering Longing".

(It should be 【Rare Skill】, there's no mistake.)

In fact, many of the skills displayed by adventurers have common effects and uses.

While acquiring a skill is a rare thing, judging from the confirmed types, it is often found that only the names differ, but the abilities are actually similar to other skills.

This possibility increases significantly when the individuals are of the same race. There seems to be a universal latent skill element across different races. For example, elves possess magical support abilities, while dwarves enhance strength.

Among these various skill effects that repeat, those that are unique or rare are collectively called "rare skills".

This is a name that the gods gave it without permission.

(If we get caught, we're in big trouble. It'll be terrible.)

Her decision not to tell Bell about her skills wasn't out of any ill intent.

Okay, to be honest, this is probably 90% related to my jealousy of that woman (her name is something like Warren), but let's not talk about that for now. Once this skill is exposed, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Perhaps driven by a thirst for entertainment, the other gods react like fools when they hear special terms like "rare skills" or "original." Like children, they do everything in their power to generate interest and manipulate the information, all while laughing and joking.

There are also some idiots who, even though others have already signed a contract, still try to persuade them to join their own "familia".

It can be said that it brings out the true nature of players to the fullest.

(This child is very bad at lying; if pressed by others, it will only make them more suspicious. I'm sorry, this is the only point I cannot be lenient about.)

Under specific conditions, the growth rate is super-enhanced.

Undoubtedly, [Single-minded Aspiration] is one of the unconfirmed skills.

To protect Bell from the clutches of evil, Hestia decides to keep this skill hidden in her heart.

Seeing Bell's surprised expression upon hearing the contents of the [Ability Value], Hestia quickly filled in the remaining [Holy Script] and did her best to do what she could.

"In short, your proficiency has improved incredibly fast. Do you have a clue what's going on?"

"Uh, no, completely... ah."

"What?"

"Uh, I went to the 6th floor the day before yesterday..."

"Pfft! What an idiot! How can you increase your chances of reaching more floors without wearing protective gear?!"

"I'm sorry."

Hestia lightly jumped off his back and gave Bell a one-sided lecture. Bell couldn't even put on his clothes and could only remain half-naked. Being scolded and lectured at the same time, he became more and more timid.

"Sigh... Let's get down to business. Right now, for some unknown reason, you're growing at an alarming rate. I don't know how long this will last, but basically, it's your growth phase."

"Yes, yes."

"...Although this is just my personal opinion, I think you are talented. You possess both the qualities and character of an adventurer."

Is Bell's current situation really just due to his skills?

Is the only reason this boy leaped so quickly really just because of his displayed skills?

Looking back, I could have foreseen it long ago.

Although he almost lost his life, he was just a farmer's boy who was able to enter the underground city alone without ever having a master to learn any skills, and steadily make progress every day.

Even though he acquired the "Single-Minded Aspiration" skill—a skill with precocious characteristics—his combat skills and techniques were all developed through actual combat. Where to attack? Should he defend or make a desperate attempt to dodge? Regardless of whether he had skills or not, it was Bell himself who made the decisions in battle. That was his own "power."