After Bell's turn to update his status, it was now Kazuma's turn.
Due to Kazuma's broken ribs, he couldn't lie on his back but could only sit on the bed with Hestia sitting behind him. Meanwhile, Bell sat on the sofa enjoying the remaining jagamarukun snacks.
"Alright, Kazuma-kun, it's your turn now," said Hestia as she pricked her finger once more to produce a drop of divine blood. "It might hurt a little because of your condition."
"It's fine, Goddess," replied Kazuma, preparing himself as Hestia applied her blood to his back.
As Hestia began reading the status that appeared on Kazuma's back, her eyes suddenly widened, her expression showing surprise no less intense than when she had read Bell's status.
"T-this..." Hestia mumbled softly, her voice trembling slightly.
"What is it, Goddess?" asked Kazuma, curious about Hestia's reaction.
"Kazuma-kun, your status... has increased extremely rapidly!" Hestia exclaimed in amazement. "Especially VIT and STR... the changes are very significant!"
Bell, hearing this, immediately shifted his attention away from the jagamarukun. "Really? Like my status too?"
Hestia nodded with a confused expression. "This is very unusual... two new adventurers with status increases this fast..." Then she quickly copied Kazuma's status onto a piece of paper and handed it to its owner.
Kazuma accepted the paper and immediately examined it.
```
Kazuma Shinrai
Hestia Familia
Level 1
Status:
STR (Strength): H 240 (↑ from I 92)
VIT (Endurance): E 430 (↑ from G 285)
DEX (Dexterity): F 360 (↑ from H 144)
AGI (Agility): F 400 (↑ from F 426)
MAG (Magic): I 0 (unchanged)
Skills:
- Adaptable Fighter: Allows quick adjustment to an opponent's fighting style.
- Martial Memory: Ability to remember and apply combat techniques that have been learned or witnessed.
Magic: -
Looking at his updated status, Kazuma was somewhat surprised. He hadn't actually expected his status to increase this rapidly.
Seeing his high endurance (VIT), he wasn't too surprised. The VIT increase was indeed very significant because Kazuma had spent more time withstanding the Minotaur's attacks than dodging them. STR had also increased greatly because defending and counterattacking required maximum strength.
However, what surprised him was the speed at which his entire status had improved.
"This... is faster than I expected," mumbled Kazuma, examining his status paper.
Kazuma began thinking about the causes of this status surge. Perhaps experience played an important role—Kazuma already possessed combat skills from another world (Martial Memory), so his body was more efficient at "learning" from battles. Also, the near-death experience against the Minotaur (a Level 2 monster) might have given an extreme boost to his status, similar to overload training.
"Isn't this great, Kazuma-san?" asked Bell enthusiastically. "We both experienced rapid improvements!"
Kazuma nodded, but his mind was still spinning. He compared his situation with Bell's. He knew Bell had Liaris Freese, which allowed him to raise his status in a matter of days. Meanwhile, Kazuma needed a life-or-death battle for similar results.
"Without a skill like Bell's, my growth might slow down after this, unless I continue to face extreme challenges," thought Kazuma. He also noticed that his MAG remained at I 0 because he hadn't touched magic at all.
So he concluded that if he wanted to continue improving quickly, it seemed he would need to be in life-and-death situations. But that was also risky—what if he died? Yet Kazuma always believed that risk was directly proportional to reward.
After checking his status, Kazuma folded the paper and tossed it into the small fireplace in the corner of the room, letting the flames consume it. Standard procedure to maintain the confidentiality of one's status.
Carefully, Kazuma examined the bandages on his body. This sight reminded him of some yakuza films he had watched in his previous life. He smiled slightly at the irony of his fate—reborn in a fantasy world but still severely injured.
Especially since he was injured the first time he entered the dungeon.
"So," Hestia began the conversation after the status update ritual was complete, "because of Kazuma-kun's condition, it seems only Bell-kun can go to the Dungeon tomorrow."
Bell nodded in agreement. "That's right, Kazuma-san needs complete rest to heal his broken ribs."
"But I also want to go to the Dungeon," protested Kazuma quietly, although he knew his body needed time to recover. "We've just started earning valis..."
"No," Hestia said firmly, hands on her hips. "As your goddess, I order you to rest until your wounds heal, Kazuma-kun. No objections."
Kazuma sighed, acknowledging his defeat. "Alright, Goddess. I'll rest."
"Don't worry, Kazuma-san," Bell smiled reassuringly. "I'll do my best tomorrow. We still have enough valis for a few days."
They continued light conversation until late at night, discussing plans for the future. Bell seemed very eager to return to the Dungeon, clearly motivated by his encounter with Aiz. Meanwhile, Hestia occasionally glanced at Bell with a worried look whenever Aiz's name was mentioned.
---
The next day, Bell left early in the morning, full of enthusiasm to return to the Dungeon. Shortly after, Hestia also left for work.
"I'll come home after my shift ends," said Hestia before leaving. "There's leftover jagamarukun on the table if you're hungry, Kazuma-kun. And don't forget to take your potion!"
After Hestia's departure, Kazuma was alone in the old church. Although his body still felt painful, he couldn't stand to keep lying down. Slowly, he got up from his bed and walked out to the church courtyard.
The fresh morning air greeted him. Kazuma sat on one of the wooden benches in the church yard, breathing in the morning air deeply. This place was perfect for practicing Kyokushin Breathing, a karate breathing technique he often did after training or when injured, both in his previous life and in this new life.
Kyokushin has two types of breathing styles: Ibuki (息吹)—Power Breath and Nogare (逃れ)—Recovery Breath. In his current condition, Kazuma chose to do the latter.
In a comfortable sitting position, Kazuma began practicing the Nogare technique. He took short breaths through his nose, then exhaled long breaths through his mouth, like sighing.
This technique functions to calm oneself after fighting and accelerate injury recovery.
As Kazuma was deep in his breathing rhythm, suddenly he felt a sensation he had never experienced before. A pleasant warmth began to spread from the center of his body to all limbs, feeling very comfortable and soothing.
"This is strange," thought Kazuma, but the sensation was too pleasant to stop. He continued his breathing technique, and the longer he did, the stronger that comfortable feeling became. More surprisingly, the pain in his ribs began to decrease significantly.
Kazuma became addicted to this sensation. He closed his eyes and went deeper into the Nogare technique, feeling the strange yet refreshing energy flowing through his body. As if there was a hidden power that had just awakened.
Each time he exhaled, the pain in his ribs decreased further. Kazuma didn't know whether this was an effect of the potion he drank last night, or perhaps it had something to do with the Falna given by Hestia. Either way, he had no intention of stopping.
An hour passed without him realizing it. When Kazuma finally opened his eyes, the sunlight was higher in the sky, and he felt a big difference in his body. Although not completely healed, the pain in his ribs had greatly diminished.
"Maybe I can try to move more," he muttered to himself, slowly standing up and performing some basic movements to test his condition.
---
One hour ago
Meanwhile, Bell, who had left very early in the morning, walked with great enthusiasm toward the Dungeon. His steps were light, his eyes shining with new determination after his encounter with Aiz Wallenstein yesterday. As he crossed the main street toward the Babel Tower.
Suddenly he felt someone watching him.
His attention was suddenly diverted by a soft voice calling him.
"Ah, Young Adventurer Sir!"
Bell turned toward the voice and saw a silver-haired girl in a maid uniform standing near a shop. The girl—Syr Flover—smiled sweetly at him.
"Um, are you calling me?" asked Bell, pointing at himself in confusion.
Syr nodded, then approached Bell. "You dropped this yesterday," she said, extending her hand holding a small magic stone.
Bell looked at the magic stone with confusion. "I... dropped it?"
"Yes, yesterday when you ran past this shop," Syr explained with a gentle smile. "You seemed to be in such a hurry, so I couldn't call out to you."
"Oh, thank you very much!" Bell accepted the magic stone awkwardly, though he didn't remember dropping anything. "I... I really appreciate your kindness."
Syr smiled wider. "You're welcome. Are you going to the Dungeon again today?"
Bell nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I need to become stronger as soon as possible!"
His stomach suddenly growled loudly, making his face turn red with embarrassment.
"Wow, such enthusiasm," commented Syr, looking impressed, then smiling with amusement upon hearing Bell's stomach.
Then she seemed to remember something and quickly went back into the shop. A moment later, she came out again with a lunch box in her hand.
"Here," Syr offered the lunch box to Bell. "Lunch for you. Adventurers need enough energy when they're in the Dungeon, right?"
"E-eh? For me?" Bell stammered, surprised by this sudden kindness. "But I can't just accept it..."
"It's okay," Syr insisted, pushing the lunch box into Bell's hands. "Consider it a thank you for being a loyal customer of the Hostess of Fertility."
"But I've never even eaten here..." muttered Bell quietly, but Syr didn't seem to hear him.
"Now, do your best today!" Syr encouraged. "And don't forget to stop by our tavern sometime, okay? Mama Mia makes very delicious food."
Bell finally accepted the lunch box with gratitude. "I'll definitely visit! Thank you very much, um..."
"Syr. Syr Flover," the girl introduced herself.
"Thank you, Syr-san! I'm Bell Cranel!"
With the additional lunch and new spirit, Bell continued his journey to the Dungeon, not realizing that Syr was still watching him with a mysterious smile until he disappeared in the distance.