It had been a few days since Ren's first dungeon dive. He had been coming to the dungeon daily since.
Naaza had accompanied him for another day but decided to stop when she noticed how comfortable Ren was. Of course, this wasn't without many warnings which was a bit out of character for her.
"It's time to leave."
Ren decided to leave while he was ahead. There was no point in taking any risks.
Ren ascended the dungeon floors with his loot. He had already made it to the third floor, a rate which would have shocked many if they knew.
As Ren left the dungeon, a series of footsteps came from behind him. Ren turned back to see a familiar face.
A white haired boy with red eyes ran past him. The boy looked to be covered in blood stains. Ren smiled at this scene.
"Bell..."
As part of the Blue Pharmacy, Ren had run into Bell a few times. He had always avoided interactions with Bell because he didn't want to change the plot in any way, at least when it came to his initial meeting with Ais.
Which character would boost his growth like the main protagonist?
Ren smiled as he walked out of the dungeon. From here on out, he would grow his relationship with Bell.
It didn't take long for Ren to arrive at the guild.
"Welcome back Ren."
"Hey Misha."
Ren quickly managed to become comfortable with Misha, which wasn't hard since she was a very casual person.
"Are you done for the day?"
"Yes, I've decided to treat myself today."
"That's great, make sure to keep safe, I wouldn't want to see you covered in blood."
"Hmm?"
"Oh, that's my bad. That newbie over there was covered in blood, so I just thought about it."
Ren turned to see Bell talking to Eina. He wasn't really surprised since he remembered the first few episodes.
"No, it's okay."
"Let me finish tallying up your money."
Misha left for a bit to exchange his loot. Ren knew that Misha was keeping herself from questioning him.
If she wasn't stupid, she'd be able to tell that Ren was experiencing an unmatched growth rate.
What Ren didn't know was that the guild employees already had an idea of who he was.
"9150 valis. Here you go"
"Thanks."
Ren left the guild with a smile. This amount was a lot more than an average Level 1 adventure would make.
Ren decided to take a walk. After buying a few buns, Ren decided to walk to a place he had been curious about.
After a long walk, Ren found himself at the Adventurer Graveyard.
Ren walked with slow steps. The sun cast shadows on the graves, a gentle breeze passing through the open field.
Ren wandered through the grave, a dozen thoughts racing through his head.
'Is this graveyard for adventurers only? How many family members lay here? How many expeditions have been wiped out entirely?'
Ren looked at the graves as he felt a sense of unease. Here lay countless stories that have been cut short in pursuit of one dream.
'I can't end up like this.'
Ren came to a strange realisation. Those who were strong were remembered in history even after their deaths.
He wanted to be immortalised, to have his name equated to strength.
"I want strength."
Ren didn't realise how dangerous his thoughts were. An innocent thought had slowly turned into a twisted narrative.
After spending a while walking around, Ren left with a new state of mind.
The sun began setting as Ren arrived at the pharmacy.
"I'm back."
"Oh welcome back Ren. Are you joining us for dinner later?"
"Yes."
"Great, Naaza is gonna get started soon. Could you lend her a hand?"
"Okay."
Ren headed into the kitchen to help Naaza with the cooking. She was doubtful of him at first, but quickly realized that he was actually good.
"What are we making?"
"Beef stew."
They got to work on the meal, quickly finishing up the prep work. Ren left when it was time for the stew to simmer. He still hadn't changed out of his armour.
After a quick bath, Ren got out to see Naaza dishing out food. He seated himself on the table, leaving the seat closet to Miach open.
Naaza took her seat and they began eating. It was a quiet meal, with Miach having the most to say.
They finished the meal without any hassle. After cleaning up. Ren went into Miach's study.
"Falna?"
"Yes."
Ren was very direct when it came to his status. He knelt as Miach updated his status.
After a flash, Miach handed over the results after transcribing them.
[STATUS:
Name: Ren
Lv: 1
Age: 15
STATS:
Str: H 153
Vit: H 135
Dex: H 175
Agi: H 163
Mag: I 0
Skills: [Kusari], [Elemental Augmentation], [Kage]
Development Ability:]
Ren's status had increased very drastically. Ren knew this rate was good, but it was nothing compared to Bell's.
In two days Bell would have surpassed him. Ren knew that he had to find a way to accelerate his growth if he wanted to keep up.