His Stamina had dropped to three.
Hestia could hardly imagine how much effort Rhodes had put into his first Dungeon expedition to end up like this.
Yes.
He was far more exhausted than he had been after training with Takemikazuchi!
If she had worked herself that hard, she probably wouldn’t even have the energy to speak, let alone greet someone so cheerfully.
As for the expedition report from the Hero Nurturing Project…
In Hestia’s eyes, none of that mattered as much as Rhodes’s condition.
“Um… Rhodes, can you make it back to the dormitory?”
“If you can’t…”
“I’ll be fine.”
Rhodes took stock of his body.
He was undeniably tired, but not to the point where he needed someone to support him.
He rolled his shoulders, only for a wave of soreness to spread through his muscles.
“Then let’s head back first!”
Their hug hadn’t restored any Stamina.
Perhaps he was simply too exhausted this time.
Letting him rest his head in her lap might help ease his fatigue.
Hestia took his hand.
“Once you’ve had a little rest, we’ll get something to eat!”
“All right.”
Rhodes certainly had no objections.
According to the way things worked in DanMachi, improvements to an adventurer’s basic abilities weren’t applied in real time.
A god had to update their Status first.
So how much had he improved through today’s expedition?
They walked side by side along Adventurers’ Way.
The streets were even livelier in the evening than during the day.
Adventurers returning from the Dungeon gathered in small groups and headed into taverns to celebrate.
Hestia believed that conversation brought people closer.
Looking up at him, she smiled.
“Rhodes, did anything… interesting happen today?”
“…”
“Actually, Lady Hestia, I did meet a rather interesting supporter.”
Remembering the little girl who called herself Lili, Rhodes thought the encounter was worth mentioning.
“If she hadn’t explained something to me, I probably would’ve wasted a lot of time.”
“A supporter?”
Hestia knitted her brows slightly.
Supporters were fairly common in Orario, but most adventurers didn’t hire strangers off the street.
After all, an ordinary Familia would have supporters of its own.
Those who had to find work elsewhere generally came from… less pleasant Familias.
More importantly, some unscrupulous supporters would secretly pocket magic stones and drop items when their employers weren’t looking, padding their own earnings at the adventurers’ expense.
“That’s right.”
“I didn’t have much money on me, so I didn’t hire her.
But she still gave me some information when we were on the starting level.”
“You made the right decision.”
“You’ve only just become an adventurer, and there’s still a lot you don’t know.
That makes it easy for certain supporters to target you.
Just remember to be careful.”
“I will.” The source of this chapter is g.com.
Rhodes nodded.
Honestly, the girl named Lili hadn’t left him with a particularly bad impression.
She had even offered him a warning.
But that didn’t mean he could afford to let his guard down.
Before long, they returned to the dormitory.
Hestia opened his door with practiced familiarity and motioned for him to take off his shirt and lie facedown on the bed.
That was how a Status update worked.
“Here we go!”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Hestia pricked her finger with a silver needle.
She squeezed out a drop of crimson divine blood and let it fall onto the Falna inscribed on Rhodes’s back.
A gentle white light immediately began to shine.
Once his new ability values had replaced the old ones, Hestia picked up a sheet of parchment and copied his Status onto it.
But—
When she lowered her gaze to the numbers on the parchment, her fingers tightened around its edges.
…
RhodesLevel: Lv.
1Strength: I 0 → H 103Endurance: I 0 → I 83Dexterity: I 0 → H 112Agility: I 0 → I 93Magic: I 0 → I 0
…
“This…”
“This can’t be right, can it?”
Hestia stared at the figures.
For a moment, she rubbed her eyes, wondering whether exhaustion was making her see things.
But when she looked again, her head only buzzed harder.
Rhodes might be her very first follower, but that didn’t mean she knew nothing.
She understood the basics.
For a novice adventurer, an average increase of twenty or thirty points after their first Dungeon expedition was already respectable.
But Rhodes…
Even counting his special training with Takemikazuchi, it had only been two days.
And his physical abilities were already averaging almost H rank!
“…”
Had she really stumbled across a treasure?
Hestia remembered the potential ratings displayed by the Hero Nurturing Project.
Even by Orario’s standards, they had been promising.
And completing daily exploration quests seemed to raise that potential.
She suddenly lifted her head and looked at the translucent screen above Rhodes.
Detailed information immediately appeared before her.
…
[Character: Rhodes]
[Strength Potential: C+][Endurance Potential: C][Dexterity Potential: C+][Agility Potential: C][Magic Potential: D]
…
With the exception of Magic, every one of his potential ratings had risen by a step through today’s expedition.
As for the plus signs…
Did they mean he could reach the upper end of the corresponding C-rank ability?
As long as I keep completing daily quests and helping Rhodes grow, all his potential ratings could reach S.
Maybe even higher?!
Hestia stared blankly at the translucent screen.
An idea bolder than anything she had imagined before began taking shape in her heart.
It was only speculation.
But even that was enough to set her blood racing.
“Lady Hestia?”
Noticing that the goddess was staring at him in a daze, Rhodes frowned.
“Is there something wrong with my Status?”
“Or am I… not really suited to being an adventurer?”
“…”
His doubtful words brought Hestia back to her senses.
She hurriedly shook her head.
Her follower was being far too modest.
Of course, she was partly responsible for that, too.
With the Hero Nurturing Project revealing what was possible, she could already imagine the bright future Rhodes might have if those other gods devoted their resources to his growth.
Her voice was firm.
“Rhodes.”
“If you weren’t in my Familia… you would surely be growing even faster.
I want you to have confidence in your talent.”
“I will.”
But when Rhodes noticed the guilt in her eyes, he thought back over their time together.
Over these past two days, she had looked after him in every possible way.
Suddenly, he felt he needed to make something clear.
He pushed himself up from the wooden bed.
“Um…”
“There’s one thing you said that I don’t agree with, Lady Hestia.”
“If I hadn’t joined your Familia… I doubt I would’ve met a goddess as kind and beautiful as you.”
“!!”
As a goddess, Hestia could tell that he was speaking the truth.
More than that, she could feel that every word came straight from his heart.
Warmth crept into her cheeks.
Her heartbeat quickened.
“Then it’s a promise, Rhodes!
Let’s be… be a Familia for the rest of your life!”
“No, for your next life, too!
And the one after that!”
“Having you… makes me a lucky goddess, too!”
….
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I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length.
If you’re following a particular series, please wait your turn a little If there’s a particular novel you’re enjoying on Patron, please give it a ‘like’ so I know to focus on it