Chapter 123: The Ingenious Use of Talismans and Experience Points

Facing Roland, who had crushed a magic spell with his bare hands without suffering a single scratch, could Riveria really offer any doubt?

She could only nod silently with a stiff face, acknowledging the fact.

It was too absurd. Even Finn, her comrade and a fellow Level 6, had many ways to take such low-level magic without injury, but that was entirely different from catching it directly with one's hands.

Ais, who had been watching the scene in silence, had her eyes light up, but Riveria proactively took over the conversation to prevent Ais from saying anything inappropriate.

"With your abilities, the twelfth floor shouldn't be difficult for you at all. Are you not continuing further down?"

"It's my first day in the Dungeon; I have to scout out the situation first, don't I?" Roland, naturally, wouldn't explain his experiments to Riveria and brushed off her curiosity with a casual remark. "Besides, didn't I just run into an anomaly? Normal Hellhounds shouldn't exist in such numbers and with such intensity. Even an average Level 5 might have stumbled in this situation."

"Indeed. I didn't expect the Dungeon's irregularities to have progressed this quickly. Has it reached the thirteenth floor already? It shouldn't be this fast; the speed feels abnormal..."

Riveria pondered for a moment, her brows furrowing, but her words quickly piqued Roland's interest.

"The Dungeon's irregularities?"

"Although the Guild has asked us not to publicize it, there is no need to keep it a secret from a powerhouse like you."

Seeing Roland's intrigued expression, Riveria did not intend to beat around the bush.

"Ever since the last expedition, we have discovered some unusual circumstances. Monsters from the deep floors have begun to proactively move toward the upper floors. And this is not an isolated case, but rather a migration of an entire floor's worth of monsters."

Monsters wandering into layers they don't belong in is rare, but it does happen. Although monster groups are not highly intelligent, they retain many beast-like instincts. When a group finds itself in an unfavorable situation, they will flee; if they happen to find a path to the Dungeon's upper levels, they end up in areas of lower intensity, causing a disaster for novice adventurers.

However, such numbers are limited. This is fundamentally different from the migration of an entire floor's worth of monsters. This situation is akin to the monster stampedes of the past; if not handled well, it could result in a disaster for all of humanity.

"From which floor did it start?" Roland's tone suddenly turned serious.

"The fifty-eighth floor. But based on the numbers, we judge that it might have started from even deeper levels that haven't been explored yet. Recently, monsters from the deep levels have begun to migrate upward floor by floor. According to the projected speed, it will soon reach the lower levels, and some scattered monsters may even be roaming the lower levels already."

Riveria's voice was also heavy. If the monsters truly spread upward, the entirety of Orario would suffer a severe blow. If things went poorly, it could be another world-sweeping catastrophe.

"The Guild is also very anxious about this situation and can only keep sending high-level adventurers to confirm the progress of the monsters' ascent from a distance. Fortunately, they are migrating floor by floor, which has given us a bit of breathing room."

"But this won't be hidden for long. Once the monsters officially enter the upper floors, this news will likely be made public. Before then, our Familia will likely conduct another expedition to confirm exactly what is happening in the deep levels."

Riveria spoke candidly about the Loki Familia's plans, but she showed no intention of inviting Roland. After all, a deep-level expedition is a true adventure; compared to raw strength, the importance of cohesion cannot be underestimated. While Roland is powerful, he is still a newcomer when it comes to exploring the Dungeon.

"I understand. Then, we shall talk again if there is another opportunity. I will take my leave for today."

Although it sounded like the work of a Contract Spirit, Roland did not abruptly propose joining them. He had many things to attend to, and regardless of whether this anomaly was caused by a Contract Spirit, it would not hinder his original plans.

"Then we shall depart first."

Riveria nodded at Roland and turned around. Ais stared fixedly at Roland and, for once, gave a small wave.

"Goodbye."

Riveria looked at Ais with some surprise, then back at Roland, her gaze shifting between them several times. Finally, she sighed helplessly, said nothing, and walked toward the deeper floors with Ais.

—

By the time Roland stepped out of the Dungeon, Babel was much more bustling. Adventurers flowed in and out in a constant stream, all filled with noise, whether they were returning or heading in.

However, wherever Roland passed, it was as if an area-of-effect "repel" spell were active; the surrounding adventurers consciously kept their distance.

"That's him, right? He isn't even carrying a weapon... How arrogant."

"You idiot, didn't you see the fairy beside him? The other party is likely the strongest weapon in existence; I doubt even the divine weapons of the Hephaestus Familia could compare."

"Well, he should at least have armor. To have no equipment at all... that's looking down on the Dungeon too much."

Listening to the whispers, Roland remained composed. He was not Falna; he couldn't be liked by everyone, and besides, his reputation as a hero hadn't yet taken root in people's hearts. It was perfectly normal to be criticized.

However, to say he looked down on the Dungeon would be an exaggeration. The reason he didn't carry weapons was that if he used other weapons, Astrea would get jealous. As for armor, that was even simpler: the current armor in this world was not as durable as Roland's own skin. If an attack could actually harm him, an extra layer of protection thinner than paper would be useless.

After exiting Babel, Roland quickly returned to his temporary residence.

The moment he opened the door, the goddess, who lacked any shred of dignity, pounced on him like a puppy welcoming its master home.

"Welcome back, Roland-kun! I thought you would be soaking in the Dungeon for the whole day. After all, the early progress shouldn't be able to hinder you at all."

The adorable goddess wore a happy smile on her face, bouncing over to Roland's side.

"Well, since Astrea is here, one cannot call it difficult, but such a place is indeed suitable for training," Roland answered casually, placing his hand on Hestia's head, which made the goddess beam with joy.

"Then, let's update your status!"

"Alright."

Roland nodded, not refusing. After all, he would be establishing his own Familia later; it was better not to casually reveal the fact that he could update his own status.

Once inside the room, Roland had just lain down on the sofa and taken off his outer garment when his expression shifted.

Come to think of it, he had updated it himself once yesterday, hadn't he?

Although it was simple to deceive this goddess who trusted him unconditionally, Roland did not want to leave such a oversight. Taking advantage of the moment he removed his shirt, he began to extract the experience from the status update he had performed yesterday.

That's right. After parsing the technique of the Grace, beyond locking it for himself and modifying the panel, he could also freely extract the experience that, theoretically, had already been fixed.

For other adventurers, the purpose of experience is to accelerate growth, but for Roland, it was merely to help him grasp his own power through the process of growth. The experience itself, used for acceleration, had no use for him.

Where should he put it?

Unable to find a use for this precious experience for a moment, Roland simply threw it into the charms that were still slowly recovering.

When Hestia naturally straddled Roland's back, letting him feel the delicate, soft sensation against his skin, the status update began.

Deep blue light blossomed like ripples from Roland's back, and the sacred characters seemed to possess life, slowly floating in the air.

Hestia focused on these constantly shifting and changing sacred characters, committing Roland's brand-new status to memory.

Roland
Lv.1
Strength: i(0) → a(882)
Endurance: i(0) → b(795)
Dexterity: i(0) → s(998)
Agility: i(0) → b(747)
Magic: i(0) → a(853)
Magic—
【】
【】
【】
Skills—
Thousand Wisdom: Any magic below this level of wisdom, regardless of the prerequisites, can be learned.
Incarnation of Possibility: Super-speed growth; every time the talent limit is reached, a greater breakthrough will be attained.
Favored One: All choices related to luck are always directed toward the most desired outcome.

Hestia stared at Roland's new status in disbelief, her entire being completely stunned, her azure pupils frozen as if locked in place.

"You're kidding, right..."

Less than half a day of Dungeon exploration, and he had almost reached the top level. Even if a god were to do the same thing, they couldn't achieve such a result.

Although Hestia had no experience in bestowing Grace upon others, it did not mean she lacked common sense. After all, in this game of the lower world, the strength of a Familia was an important indicator of status, and gods often flaunted information about their outstanding children.

But Hestia had never heard of such a situation. This was no longer just an anomaly; it was utterly shocking.

Before Roland went out today, Hestia had fantasized that his growth in proficiency might exceed five hundred. This wasn't because she underestimated him; although he was only Level 1, he had a massive advantage in slaughtering low-level monsters, but compared to him, those monsters were too weak, and the experience they could provide was always limited.

Even if one person killed all the monsters on several floors, they might not necessarily obtain such high experience. This could already be called the ceiling of Level 1!

An adventurer who could reach this degree at Level 1 was almost guaranteed to become a renowned high-level adventurer in Orario, provided they didn't fall. And that was not to mention that Roland had only used one day.

*Incarnation of Possibility...*

Hestia examined the brief skill. As a manifestation reflecting the person's essence, perhaps this answer was the best explanation.

In other words, compared to Roland's true power and potential, even if only a sliver was drawn out, the capacity of Level 1 was far from enough?

This was no longer a situation that could be described as heroic; he was a complete cheater.

I'm afraid that in the fantasies written by the children of the lower world, they wouldn't dare to easily adopt such an exaggerated setting.

Compared to those heroes who were favored by the gods and walked the mortal world with divine grace, Roland was more like a true god slowly reclaiming his own power.

It was as if the Grace, which could sublimate possibilities, simply could not understand Roland's power, and could only constantly pick up the icebergs floating on the surface, unable to see the towering iceberg beneath the sea.

"Roland-kun! I love you so much!"

Hestia could no longer suppress the excitement in her heart. She hugged Roland, ignoring her previous doubts, and revealed a genuine smile.

Compared to worry, as long as Roland could benefit, it was enough to make her feel happy and proud. Everything else was trivial.

"Ugh..."

Feeling a certain proud part of Hestia being squeezed into different shapes by his arms, Roland couldn't help but sigh at the goddess who lacked vigilance. However, as the one enjoying the benefits, he didn't intend to act like a gentleman and righteously stop her.

Moreover, there was now something more important at the top of the list.

Under the nourishment of the Dragon Charm, the charm, which had not yet recovered its full appearance, saw its recovery progress increase.

Although it was an insignificant sliver, as the master of this divine power, Roland knew that the charm had indeed grown, as if a few hours of time had been skipped.

The divine power of the charms had always been very picky, but the fact that the Grace's experience could actually be absorbed by it was truly beyond Roland's expectations.

But thinking about it carefully, it didn't seem strange. After all, the state of the charms themselves was very similar to Roland's.

The essence of the divine power still existed; it just needed time to recover and replenish due to being overdrawn. This divine power was one with Roland himself, and it was only natural that he could utilize it.

From this point of view, the value of the Dungeon to Roland had increased significantly. However, Roland, who had always had unconventional ways of thinking, had an even bolder idea.

The divine power of the charms itself only needed experience points; it didn't specify whose, did it? Could the experience points of others be used?

Compared to going to the Dungeon and working hard to fight monsters, wouldn't it be better to directly exploit the ready-made ones?

If this was the case, the recovery of the charms would likely see quite astonishing progress in this world.

Thinking of this, the corners of Roland's mouth curled into a meaningful arc, and his crimson pupils revealed a clear sense of pleasure.

He hadn't expected an accidental action to yield such a harvest. Fate was indeed on his side.

"Hestia, you really are the best goddess."

"Hehehe... I'm not that good."

Looking at Hestia, who was floating on air because of his praise, Roland shrugged helplessly. For some reason, the girls around him were not much more mature than him in terms of psychological age; most of the time, he was the one acting as the protector.

In this regard, Medea, Irisviel, and the others were much the same.

Afterward, he would confirm whether the experience points were truly as he had envisioned.

However, before that, he needed a Familia of his own.