Hanyu Genichi stared at the dazzling information on the parchment and grinned foolishly for a long time.
Soon, however, his smile froze.
He abruptly looked up at Demeter, unease entering his voice.
“Goddess, perhaps I should leave Orario first.
This place suddenly feels rather unsafe.”
“Unsafe?”
Demeter glanced sideways at him, her teasing gaze plainly declaring that he had finally learned fear.
“So you understand danger after all?
What gave you the courage to do it?”
“Who was it that confidently declared dreams weren’t illegal, then secretly targeted Riveria last night?”
“That was only a moment of impulse…”
Genichi guiltily averted his eyes and muttered under his breath.
“Besides, she can’t find me.
As long as I deny everything, who could prove I was responsible?”
“If I leave Orario for another city, I won’t need to worry about her finding me.
The world is enormous.
Riveria wouldn’t hunt me across the world over one dream, would she?”
“Hah.”
Demeter sneered, folded her arms, and stared down at him.
“You truly have running away carved into your bones.
The moment danger appears, your first instinct isn’t to confront it but to flee.”
“You don’t possess even the slightest determination expected of an adventurer.”
“An adventurer’s determination can’t fill my stomach!”
Genichi countered with complete confidence.
“I worked hard to survive this long.
Wouldn’t it be a terrible waste if I died here merely because I wanted to act brave?”
“Besides, I’m not from this world.
I feel no attachment to Orario, so running away wouldn’t trouble my conscience at all.”
Demeter stared at him speechlessly, her beautiful face expressing complete exasperation.
She began seriously wondering whether she had chosen the wrong person for her Familia.
Genichi was lazy, lustful, cowardly, and afraid of death.
He refused to endure the slightest hardship and devoted all his thoughts to shortcuts and questionable methods.
Other adventurers trained desperately, entered the Dungeon, and risked their lives fighting monsters.
Genichi spent every day devising ways to max out his ability values inside dreams so he could grow stronger while lying comfortably in bed.
If he joined Evilus, his talents would undoubtedly shine.
After all, those people specialized in avoiding the proper path.
That thought sent a shiver through Demeter.
If Evilus ever captured Genichi, his combination of [Dreamwalking] and [Slaanesh] could infiltrate the dreams of every important figure in Orario.
Not only Loki Familia but even Freya Familia might end up dancing in the palm of his hand.
For Orario, that would be an absolute catastrophe.
Demeter’s expression became complicated as she studied him.
She had to acknowledge one fact.
In only two days, Genichi had raised his ability values from I0 across the board to S999 in Magic and H199 in every other attribute.
He was undoubtedly the fastest-growing adventurer in Orario’s history.
However, that didn’t mean his path toward strength would remain perfectly smooth.
“I admit that you can use [Dreamwalking] and [Slaanesh] to grind your ability values.”
Demeter spoke slowly, a cunning smile entering her voice.
“Your talent in that area is truly extraordinary.
However, you’ve forgotten one important detail.”
“Leveling up requires a great feat.”
“A great feat?”
Genichi blinked and frowned as fragments of a distant memory surfaced in his mind.
“That’s right—a great feat.”
Demeter nodded and traced a circle through the air with one slender finger.
“A great feat is an accomplishment earned when an adventurer uses courage and wisdom to defeat an enemy far beyond their level or overcome an immense crisis.”
“The Floor Bosses and powerful monsters in the Dungeon’s deeper floors offer the best opportunities to accomplish one.”
“In other words…”
Demeter deliberately drew out the words.
A devious smile appeared as she watched Genichi’s expression gradually collapse.
“If you refuse to enter the Dungeon and challenge powerful monsters, then no matter how high you raise your ability values, you’ll never reach Level 2.”
Flutter.
The parchment slipped from Genichi’s hand and fell to the floor.
His expression instantly changed from pride and satisfaction to horror and disbelief.
‘Holy shit!
How did I forget about that?!’
Genichi slapped his forehead and froze as though lightning had struck him.
He finally remembered.
In Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, adventurers needed more than sufficiently high basic ability values to level up.
They also had to accomplish a great feat by challenging and defeating an enemy far stronger than themselves.
Bell had leveled up so quickly partly because of his extraordinary skill, [Liaris Freese].
More importantly, he repeatedly challenged opponents above his level and defeated monsters such as Minotaurs and Floor Bosses.
Genichi, meanwhile, had remained hidden within Demeter Familia since arriving in this world.
He didn’t even know what the Dungeon’s entrance looked like, let alone possess experience fighting its monsters.
His ability values might be frighteningly high, but they remained nothing more than numbers without combat experience or a great feat to support them.
Without one, Genichi would remain Level 1 forever.
“So…”
Genichi raised his head and stared at Demeter, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Goddess, you knew this from the beginning but deliberately said nothing because you wanted to see my current expression?”
“That’s right~”
Demeter’s eyes curved with delight.
Her smile was so radiant that Genichi wanted to rush over and bite her cheek.
“I wanted to see what kind of amusing expression you’d make when you realized there was no way to avoid the Dungeon.”
“And you certainly didn’t disappoint me.
Your expression is extremely entertaining.”
“You’re far too devious!”
Genichi protested in grief and indignation.
“I’m one of your children!
How could you deceive a member of your own Familia like this?”
“Deceive you?”
Demeter tilted her head and adopted an innocent expression.
“I never deceived you.
I merely chose not to tell you.
How could that possibly count?”
“Besides, I never forbade you from entering the Dungeon.
You’re the one who insisted on hiding like a frightened turtle.”
Genichi couldn’t produce a response.
Demeter was right.
She had repeatedly encouraged him to enter the Dungeon, while he had invented excuse after excuse to avoid it.
Now that reality had struck him in the face, he genuinely had no one else to blame.
“Is there no alternative?”
Genichi refused to surrender.
“Could I fight some weak monsters and gradually accumulate enough achievements for a great feat?”
“Weak monsters?”
Demeter raised an eyebrow.
“Do you honestly believe defeating something as weak as a Goblin could qualify as a great feat?”
“It’s called a great feat because it must be both exceptional and difficult.”
“Defeating a Goblin is routine, not a great feat.
If you want to level up, you’ll need to defeat an opponent at least as dangerous as an Enhanced Species.”
Genichi’s face completely collapsed.