[D.C] Ch 13: Descent into the Dungeon

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Back in the room, Eina gently adjusted her glasses.

She brought her teacup to her lips with practiced grace, took a small sip, and set it back down.

"If his stomach's upset…"

"He probably won't be heading to the dungeon today, right?"

She let out a tiny sigh.

When he came back, she definitely needed to give him a proper lecture.

She hadn't even had the chance to share her personal catchphrase with him yet.

It was practically her motto—"Adventurers do not look for an adventure."

Sounds contradictory, sure. But what it really meant was: Safety first.

As a Guild staff member, Eina had seen far too many overconfident rookies.

They'd just gotten their Falna—the divine blessing from their god or goddess—and immediately thought they were invincible.

Drunk on their new power, they'd charge into the dungeon, biting off way more than they could chew. And then… they'd never come back out.

Dead, just like that.

And Klaus?

He was even more reckless than usual.

He didn't bring a single thing—no weapons, no armor. Nothing!

Forget equipment for a second—what about healing potions? What about food? Water?

But nope. The guy strolled in like he was going shopping.

Eina, ever kindhearted, couldn't possibly just sit by and let him act so carelessly.

Now that she'd accepted the role of his advisor, she was determined to take full responsibility for his safety.

She waited for a while… but Klaus still didn't return.

Just as she was starting to feel suspicious—

Click.

The door opened.

But it wasn't Klaus.

It was Misha, arms full of documents.

"Eina!"

"Come help me with these forms, will you? I'm dying over here."

"Oh, right—and almost forgot to tell you," Misha added casually as she walked in.

"That newbie who asked you to be his advisor? He told me to let you know…"

"He went out to buy some medicine."

"He said he's heading home to rest, so don't wait up."

Eina blinked and raised an eyebrow. "That's all he said?"

"Yep."

Misha paused for a second, then added, "Oh! And he said thanks. For being so concerned about him."

Hearing that, Eina finally relaxed a little.

Yup, it was a lie—but it was a well-meaning lie. Klaus had planned to apologize to her properly after returning from the dungeon.

He could tell she genuinely cared—and he appreciated that.

Klaus wasn't the kind of guy to forget kindness. He remembered every good deed, and he paid them back in full.

He didn't like lying to her… but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Honestly, who wouldn't rather spend their days goofing off and flirting with girls?

He had already slept in with Hestia until nearly noon.

Then he bumped into Syr, had a long meal and chat, got caught up in that whole mess with Bete…

Now the day was half gone.

If he wanted to make any money at all, he had no choice—

He had to head into the dungeon and start hunting monsters.

After all, most adventurers hit the dungeon at sunrise. He was already way behind.

Flirting was fun and all, but if you didn't have the strength to back it up—

Well, trouble would come knocking sooner or later.

And Klaus had no plans on waiting for that day to arrive. He needed to get stronger—fast.

— — —

Meanwhile…

At the central plaza beneath Babel Tower—

Klaus finally arrived and gave the area a quick once-over.

It was still bustling.

Even though this wasn't peak hour, plenty of adventurers were either heading in or milling around.

Some went solo, others traveled in small parties.

Most groups were three to five people, though a few had over a dozen.

Couples? Rare, but not impossible.

In fact, after a moment of people-watching, Klaus spotted one such pair—a male beastman and a female Amazon.

The two were all smiles, clearly enjoying each other's company as they headed toward the dungeon.

Klaus smirked and looked away.

Then, with a thought, he silently activated his Eye of Truth.

This ability let him view other people's Falna stats—and also check his own in real-time.

A soft blue screen shimmered into view before his eyes.

[Klaus]

➤Level: 1

➤stats:

•Strength: I60

•Endurance: I55

•Dexterity: I52

•Agility: I58

•Magic: G280

➤Development Abilities: None

➤Magic: Feathers of Oblivion, Cycle Summon, Feather of Fantasia.

➤Skills: Devil Frenzy, Demonic Tyrant Aura, Sanctum of Divine and Demonic

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This was his most up-to-date Falna.

If Hestia were to check his status now, this is exactly what she'd see.

As for why his stats had climbed so fast?

That was thanks to the fifth passive effect of his skill, [Sanctum of Divine and Demonic].

'Training—also Sleeping— with a person of the opposite sex drastically increases growth rate.'

Yup.

Even just sleeping with a woman helped him get stronger.

Last night, cuddling with Hestia as they slept—that alone had raised his stats.

That said…

Getting stronger this way didn't exactly pay the bills.

He couldn't exactly feed himself with passive skills and pillow time.

So yeah. Time to hit the dungeon, kill monsters, and earn some valis.

Otherwise, he and Hestia were going to be living off discount fried potato balls again…

"All right… my stats are looking pretty solid."

Klaus smiled, stretching his arms.

"Let's do this."

— — —

The dungeon was divided into five major zones:

Upper Floors

Middle Floors

Lower Floors

Deep Floors

Unknown Floors

The Upper Floors covered levels 1 to 12.

There was no sunlight down there. No natural water, either. The passageways were tight, winding. Twists and turns everywhere—dead-ends, chambers, and endless branching paths.

Most rookie adventurers played it safe, sticking to the first three floors.

Level 1 adventurers usually wandered between floors 4 to 7.

If they grouped up, they could maybe handle floors 8 to 12.

But from floor 13 onward?

That was the start of the Middle Floors—and a whole different beast.

Monster spawn rates shot up.

So did monster strength. So did danger.

That was not a place for beginners.

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