Chương 14: Humanity's Final Hero

Back in the warm little nest in the basement, Cael patted his flushed cheeks and rubbed his nose. Good thing he had not gotten a nosebleed. That would have been humiliating. If it had been another girl, he probably would not have reacted like this. Hestia was not only cute. The truly dangerous part was the divine presence that could make his heart tremble so easily. Just like last time, he lay face down on the mattress. Feeling the familiar warmth and weight on his back made his thoughts wander.

Without realizing it, he had already grown this close to Hestia. Did this mean he had somehow captured a goddess's heart?

"Speaking of which, Cael, why did you choose such a dangerous profession?" Hestia asked while pricking her finger with a needle.

"The Dungeon is so dangerous. Adventurers go missing almost every day." A drop of divine blood fell onto Cael's back like a pebble landing on a quiet lake. Blue sacred letters emerged. Every part of his Status began to float and update.

"Well..." Cael was stumped. A drop of sweat slid down his temple. How was he supposed to answer that? Should he say he only wanted to become stronger and meet those girls? If he said that out loud, the jealous goddess on his back might run away in anger. So he chose not to answer. He could not lie before a god, but silence was allowed. Fortunately, his attributes stunned Hestia before she could press him further.

"Ah! This growth...!" Hestia's eyes widened as she stared at the final numbers. [Status] Name: Cael Veyren Level: Lv. 1 Basic Abilities Strength: I 6 -> E 486 Endurance: I 3 -> F 393 Dexterity: I 8 -> E 431 Agility: I 6 -> F 387 Magic: I 63 -> F 388 This was his first time entering the Dungeon. Even accounting for the Irregular, this growth was unbelievable. Too fast. In less than a single day, his values had risen from single digits to triple digits. Wait. The Skill section.

[Status] Skill: Clear Sword Mind - While holding a sword, greatly increases the sharpness of any sword-shaped weapon. - Greatly increases comprehension of sword techniques. - Slightly increases comprehension of sword-based finishing moves. Sword Skill: Starburst Stream - When activated with two swords, temporarily grants greatly enhanced dynamic vision. - Temporarily grants sword weapons the ability to cut through airflow. - Temporarily raises Strength, Dexterity, and Agility to the Basic Ability limit of S 999.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. - Effects increase as Magic value increases. After the shock passed, Hestia calmed down and stared at the numbers and Skills that would be unbelievable for both rookies and veteran adventurers. She could not understand this. So many unheard-of Skills had appeared on one person, and every one of them had an extremely rare effect. If a person possessed even one Skill, they had the qualifications to become a hero. Cael had so many.

If other gods learned about his Skills, less scrupulous gods would definitely try to steal him. At that moment, the Magic section updated, and a new Magic appeared. Hestia froze. [Status] Magic: World Gate Key - Gate-opening Magic. - Summons the World Gate. -??? What was this? This ability could not even be fully identified by the Falna system woven together by the gods. Hestia knew Cael's experience in the Dungeon had not been ordinary, but she still could not understand it. Why? What exactly was happening?

When she could not think it through, a thought suddenly came to her. Hestia's expression became extremely grave. Could Cael be humanity's final hero, born to complete the last of the Three Great Quests issued by the world to the gods? In ancient times, the world had given the gods three great commissions. Slay the three great calamities that had thrown the lower world into endless darkness. Behemoth, the King of Land, and Leviathan, the King of the Sea, had already been slain by Zeus Familia and Hera Familia.

After defeating two calamities, the two great Familias confidently tried to subjugate the strongest of the three, the One-Eyed Black Dragon, King of the Skies. Their overconfidence led to the annihilation of their elites, including one Lv. 9 adventurer, one Lv. 8 adventurer, and many others. With those parties destroyed, the strongest suppressing force on the side of justice vanished. Dark factions rose one after another, plunging the city of Orario into an age of chaos.

Only through the efforts of Loki Familia, Freya Familia, Astraea Familia, Ganesha Familia, and others did Orario finally return to peace. As for Zeus Familia and Hera Familia, they had to pay for the dark turmoil caused by their failure. They were permanently expelled from Orario. If Hestia looked at it that way, Cael's situation made sense. It would explain why he possessed so many rare Skills she had never heard of and why his growth speed was so unbelievable. To think...

Humanity's final hero had become a child of Hestia Familia. The thought made Hestia's lips curl with pride.

"Is something wrong with my Status, Lady Hestia?" Hestia had been silent for too long, so Cael finally asked. His lips curved slightly. It looked like he really had grown a lot stronger. Strong enough to shock his goddess speechless.

"Cael, I locked your Skill section. Unless someone uses an unsealing potion, no one else will be able to see it." Hestia came back to herself and translated his Status onto paper while speaking in a serious tone.

"You absolutely must not expose your Skills. If you do, you will face endless trouble."

"I am not that stupid, Lady Hestia." Cael accepted the Status sheet and asked curiously, "Right, my injuries?"

"Oh. I asked my divine friend Miach for a healing potion. He gifted it to us, so it did not cost money."

"Then I will thank him properly." Cael was not the kind of person who took help for granted. If he had a chance, he would repay that kindness.

"Cael is someone who knows how to be grateful. I found another good point." Hestia sat cross-legged, propping her cheeks in both hands as she smiled at his face, as if she could look forever. He had changed so much. Compared to yesterday, there was more firmness and courage in him. Unlike unchanging gods like them, mortals really could transform.

"A little stronger than I expected," Cael said, surprised as he looked at his values. He had thought passing one hundred would already be good. He had not expected to be only a few dozen points away from the minimum upgrade requirement in several areas. The most important thing was the Sword Skill. It had actually appeared too. Its effect was outrageous. As expected of a protagonist's finishing move. If he used this Sword Skill together with all his other Skill effects, he could briefly reach the realm of a Lv.

2 upper-class adventurer for more than ten seconds. Every increase in an adventurer's Level created a massive gap. Fighting across Levels almost always meant defeat, sometimes instant defeat. Of course, cheat-like abilities were exceptions. His values were also nearly balanced. Every race had specialties in Basic Abilities. Dwarves were strongest in endurance. Prums had the highest dexterity. Elves were born as great magic users. Beast people were unmatched in strength and speed.

Amazons were especially excellent in strength and agility, natural masters of combat. Humans were balanced in every area. That could also mean they were mediocre in every area, but they had the greatest adaptability.

"Lady Hestia, what are these two blurred sections?" Cael asked, pointing toward the two blurred parts of the Skill and Magic areas. Before, there had been only one blurred section. Now there were two. One of them was definitely World Gate Key.

"Same as yesterday. My hand slipped." Hestia played with her fingers as if nothing had happened, her lips forming a slight pout.

"Skills are very hard to increase, you know. Some first-tier adventurers above Lv. 5 only have one or two Skills." For Cael's sake, she could not tell him about the extra Skills. If Cael knew he had so many Skills, he might act recklessly in the Dungeon. He could die before he had time to grow. Especially that womanizing Skill. She absolutely had to hide that.

"..." Cael's mouth twitched.

"Lady Hestia is right."