Chapter 9: A Day and Night of Struggle

At the top of the central tower in the Dusk Manor.

In the divine chamber, Loki was pacing back and forth, somewhat anxiously.

"How come he hasn't come back yet?"

Looking at the sky gradually darkening outside, the irritation on Loki's face became more evident.

"He ran out last night and hasn't returned all day. It's been a day and a night, hasn't it?"

Recalling the back view of Rigel as he left the divine chamber last night, that cold and resolute figure, Loki couldn't help but bite her nails.

"Did something happen?"

No, right?

Just a day after joining the clan, the treasure she had stumbled upon by luck would be gone?

"I should have been stricter with him."

Loki regretted it.

She knew that Rigel might have gone to the dungeon.

Originally, as a newcomer who had just received the blessing and whose abilities were not much different from an ordinary person, after guessing Rigel's intentions, Loki should have stopped him.

However, because Rigel's potential was truly outstanding, even though he had just received the blessing and his basic abilities were no different from an ordinary person, he had one magic and three skills. Plus, he always appeared so calm and composed, seeming to know his limits. In the end, Loki chose not to stop him and indulged this newly joined child a little.

Who would have thought that this indulgence would lead to such a big problem.

"Thinking about it carefully, even if that child is very sensible and has great potential, rashly entering the dungeon as a newcomer is still a very risky thing."

Not to mention the information about the dungeon, Rigel didn't know much at all.

For example, the maps of each floor of the dungeon.

For example, the abilities and types of monsters that appear on each floor.

This information, as a new adventurer, should be understood beforehand, and then one should enter the dungeon.

Rigel, however, had not made such preparations at all. Wasn't it very likely that something would go wrong?

"Could he have been injured because he didn't understand the monsters' attack methods?"

"Could he have gotten lost because he didn't know the terrain?"

"Or did he encounter an abnormal situation or a monster feast? But that usually doesn't happen in the first few floors, right?"

Loki couldn't help but start to worry excessively.

"I can't just sit here. I need to find someone to help."

Loki finally couldn't sit still, left the divine chamber, and went outside.

Just as Loki was about to send someone to the dungeon to look for Rigel, someone shouted.

"That newcomer is back!"

At the entrance of the Dusk Manor, the clan member responsible for the gate shouted.

"He's back?"

Loki's eyes lit up, and without a second thought, she rushed to the gate.

However, when Loki arrived at the gate, the scene that met her eyes left her speechless.

"Hey, newcomer, are you really okay?"

"You don't look like you're okay at all."

"Here, this is water, and this is a healing potion. Drink it quickly."

"What did you do to end up like this?"

A group of Loki's clan members gathered at the gate, discussing in a panic and fussing over one person, offering him items.

"Thank you all for your concern, I'm really fine."

Rigel thanked the many senior clan members, his tone as calm as ever, but his condition was quite bad.

His clothes were tattered and stained with various bloodstains, some of which had even turned black, making it hard to tell if they were his or the monsters'. His black hair was messy and wet, and his appearance was as wretched as it could be.

In such a state, Rigel still held a short sword covered in fresh blood, the blade already dulled from use.

Such an image and such a wretched state were truly shocking.

"You little—"

Loki stepped forward, wanting to scold him but stopped.

"Follow me."

The main deity, with a stern face, ignored the clan members who were intimidated and dared not speak, and grabbed Rigel's hand, dragging him away.

Rigel did not resist, allowing Loki to take him to the top of the central tower and into her divine chamber.

However, before Loki could say anything, Rigel spoke first.

"Sorry, I made you worry."

Rigel bowed his head, apologizing to Loki.

This made all the words Loki had been about to say get stuck in her throat, unable to come out.

Loki could only take a deep breath and stare at Rigel with a stern face.

"I won't ask what you went through." Loki said, "I'll just ask you, were you in the dungeon for a day and a night?"

"Yes." Rigel nodded, his eyes downcast.

"Did you stay in the dungeon for a day and a night in this state?" Loki's lips twitched. "On the first floor?"

"No." Rigel was silent for a moment before calmly said, "If my memory serves me right, I should have taken the passage to the next floor four times."

Hearing this, Loki was momentarily stunned.

"Took the passage to the next floor four times?"

"Did you, did you go down to the fifth floor?"

Loki asked, her voice filled with shock, to which Rigel remained silent.

Loki put a hand to her forehead.

"Less than a day after receiving the blessing, not even registered as an adventurer with the guild, and you went down to the fifth floor alone?"

Loki felt dizzy.

She was angry.

New adventurers who had just received the blessing, even if they formed a team of three, would usually only explore the first floor on their first trip to the dungeon, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

As a newcomer, with abilities still immature and not outstanding, it took a lot of effort just to overcome fear and enter the dungeon, let alone fight monsters and explore the maze.

Therefore, new adventurers generally needed a considerable amount of time to adapt before considering going to lower floors.

Even so, a team of new adventurers would usually only explore the first four floors and would never enter the fifth floor.

In fact, senior clan members would definitely stop them from entering the fifth floor.

The reason was simple.

Starting from the fifth floor of the dungeon, the types and strength of monsters would increase, and the structure of the dungeon would become more complex.

Not only would the frequency of monster appearances increase, but starting from the fifth floor, the dungeon would transform, with the area being larger than the central square of Orario, making the exploration difficulty skyrocket to another level.

Without guidance from experienced adventurers and prior knowledge of the fifth floor and the monsters there, it wouldn't be surprising for new adventurers to die on that floor.

Therefore, the fifth floor was considered the first clear line of death in the dungeon, undoubtedly becoming much more dangerous compared to the first four floors.

So, Rigel went to the fifth floor alone on his first trip to the dungeon?

Without any armor, with no growth in his abilities, and with basic abilities no different from an ordinary person?

It was like he was courting death!

"I really want to know how you've managed to survive until now."

Loki looked at Rigel with extreme anger.

Seeing this, Rigel did not defend himself but said in confusion.

"Actually, I'm also very surprised. I originally planned to return when I was exhausted, but for some reason, my stamina seemed endless, and my spirit was always good. I only realized I had been in the dungeon for a whole day and night after I started killing monsters."

This was the truth.

Rigel had indeed planned to return when he was exhausted.

Although he was in an abnormal state of excitement, completely unable to stop, and thoroughly enjoying the killing, he wasn't foolish. When he truly couldn't continue, he would have calmed down and returned.

The problem was that Rigel never felt exhausted. His stamina and spirit seemed endless, no matter how he fought, killed, ran, or explored, he never felt tired.

As a result, Rigel couldn't grasp the right time to return and, driven by his excitement, ended up reaching the fifth floor.

If it weren't for his sudden hunger, Rigel wouldn't have realized how long he had been in the dungeon.

To this, Loki could only speak in exasperation.

"This is because of your development abilities."

Loki's words made Rigel slightly stunned.

"Development abilities?"

Rigel furrowed his brow.

"Those are the additional abilities you have a chance to gain when you level up, as I mentioned to you yesterday."

Loki's tone was still not good.

However, Rigel knew what development abilities were.

As Loki said, they were special abilities that had a certain chance of being obtained when leveling up, different from the five basic abilities: Strength, Endurance, Agility, Dexterity, and Magic. They were extensions of the basic abilities, additional personal attributes.

Unlike basic abilities, development abilities were divided into ten stages: S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I, but they had no proficiency and were extremely difficult to improve. However, development abilities could provide passive benefits.

For example, blacksmiths in this world, after receiving the blessing and reaching level 2, had a chance to gain the development ability "Forging," which allowed them to add special attributes to the equipment they forged, turning them into high-level magical equipment.

There were many such development abilities, some of which were useful in combat.

And the effect of Rigel's skill "Endless" was to grant him three development abilities.

"The effect of 'Recovery' is to automatically restore stamina, allowing you to recover quickly even while fighting without resting."

"The effect of 'Mental Recovery' is to automatically restore mental energy, allowing you to recover during combat without deep rest."

"The effect of 'Abnormal Resistance' is to resist abnormal states, such as poisoning."

Loki sighed.

"The reason you could fight in the dungeon for a day and night without feeling tired is because of these development abilities."

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(End of Chapter)