"A dream, huh?"

I muttered and opened my eyes.

Hestia was gone. But there was a note on the table nearby wishing me well and saying that she would be back later.

I sighed and stood up, getting ready.

Brushing my teeth, washing my face... as I did all that, I thought about it.

Bell's desire. He wanted to be a hero. But I didn't. Well, not completely.

It wasn't wrong to want to save people. But saving people didn't always mean you would be a hero.

It was a dilemma that Bell would inevitably have faced. Something that would tear him up.

"But I'm different."

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom.

A young face. Crimson eyes, messy white hair.

Unfamiliar.

But at the same time, familiar.

Was it because I knew how most stories ended? A 'happy ending' always came at a cost. If one really wanted to be a 'hero', they would only remain as such if they died. Living beyond the ending would lead to the hero becoming the villain when people became dissatisfied.

"Bah." I shook my head and walked out. "Enough philosophy."

I didn't need to worry about that.

All I needed to worry about was being an adventurer and earning money for Hestia.

One step at a time.

xxx

The guild office was a fair walk away from the church. It was also close to the Dungeon, but that wasn't what I came for.

I opened the door to the guild office and looked around.

Although it was morning, there were already people around. Adventurers in full gear talking with receptionists behind what was basically a bank teller booth.

There was a line... but there were also some open tellers.

Was it because people were waiting for a particular receptionist to speak with?

I didn't know, but I walked over to an open teller and greeted the person there. "Good morning."

"Hm?" The receptionist looked up.

A young woman with... Pink hair? Even so, it looked natural on her. She blinked and then gave me a bright smile. "Good morning! How can I help you?"

"I'd like to register as an adventurer, but I don't know how to do that. Could you direct me to what I need to do?"

"Oh, is that all?" She nodded and said, "I can do that for you right here. One sec." She reached beneath her and rummaged around for a pen and paper. Afterwards, she looked at me and said, "Could you give me your name and your Familia?"

"Bell Kranel, Hestia Familia."

"Bell Kranel... And Hestia?" She frowned and said, "That's not familiar... A new goddess?"

"That's right." I smiled and said, "I'm actually the first in her family."

"Oh! Congratulations then! Although starting off as an adventurer, huh?" She stared at me and hummed.

I could sense her judgment, but it couldn't be helped. After all, Bell was pretty scrawny... Something I'd have to fix soon.

"Well, that's fine. The procedure's pretty simple... though since Lady Hestia is new, she has to fill out some tax forms." She slid a few papers over on the tabletop and said, "Tell her to fill these out and return them later. All Familia need to register with the Guild if they're in Orario to pay for some taxes, so make sure she doesn't forget."

I grabbed the papers and tucked them beneath my arm. "I won't."

"In that case... Congratulations on becoming an adventurer, Mister Kranel!"

"...Eh?" I blinked and said, "Is that it?"

"Almost. There's one last thing to do before we officially accept you. The Guild likes to assign adventurers a personal advisor in order to ensure things go well... and to also help with the workflow. It wouldn't do to have people charging in whenever, you know?"

I nodded.

"Even so, we want to ensure an amicable relationship between an adventurer and their advisor. Is there any sort of criteria you want?"

"Criteria?"

"Mmhm!" The receptionist nodded and said, "We'll do our best to meet them if we can. For example, if you're comfortable working with humans, we can find someone like that. Or if you want someone knowledgeable with fighting styles, we can look for someone who can help point you out there."

"In that case..." I frowned and rubbed my chin. "...Do you think you could find me someone who can teach me about everything?"

The receptionist blinked. "Everything?"

I nodded. "That's right. I don't want to have Hestia be sad, so I want to make sure I'm absolutely prepared before I enter the Dungeon. Things like what monsters to expect, common adventurer mistakes, useful tips... someone who knows all of that."

The receptionist blinked again and then frowned. "In that case..." She turned around and said, "Eina? Are you busy?"

"...Eina?"

Before I could dwell too much about it, a woman emerged from the back to stand beside the receptionist.

She was beautiful. That was the first thing I noticed. Light brown hair kept in a bob cut paired with glasses that gave her the appearance of a librarian. Slightly pointed ears... meaning she was either an elf or half-elf.

Eina gave the pink-haired receptionist an irritated stare and said, "What is it, Misha? I'm busy studying the latest reports."

The receptionist... or rather, Misha, smiled and looked towards me. "I found you a new adventurer to teach!"

"...Eh?"

"Huh?"

xxx

A private room in the back of the Guild office. Seated in front of a table, I waited for Eina to come back.

As I did, I took a look around.

I was in her private office. Eina's... or rather, my new dungeon advisor's.

The first thing I noticed were the books. Lining every wall were countless bookshelves filled with thick tomes.

The next thing I noticed was the paperwork. Just like the books, there were a ton of them lying around. Though, from what I could see, it seemed more like notes than normal paperwork.

"Hm. Well, she seems knowledgeable enough..."

Even if some people put books up as decoration, when it got to a level like this, it wasn't for show.

And as if to confirm my thoughts, the door opened and Eina walked in carrying a towering stack of books.

She closed the door behind her with her foot and then walked to her desk before dropping the stack in front of her. After that, she sat down and adjusted her glasses, staring at me with a stern gaze. "So. You want to be an adventurer?"

A hint of irritation.

I didn't know why... but I nodded, not letting it bother me. "That's right."

"Someone as scrawny as you, huh...? What are the gods thinking these days, letting any kid just walk in to be an adventurer?"

I narrowed my eyes at that, but let it be.

It seemed like she had some trauma with that... so I couldn't blame her.

Eina sighed and then looked at me. "Well. If someone like you wants to be an adventurer, you had better prepare yourself." She pushed the pile of books towards me and said, "Start reading. Afterwards, I'll give you a test. And if you do well enough, maybe I'll consider letting you go into the Dungeon."

A challenge. While she said it lightly, the way she looked at me made it clear. That she didn't expect me to succeed... No, was she actively trying to push me away? To have me choose someone else?

Either way...

"Sure."

...She'd be disappointed.

I picked up the first book and started flipping through.

After, I picked up the second.

And the third.

And the fourth.

And then Eina glared at me. "Are you ignoring me? No, are you making fun of me?"

"Of course not. I'm reading."

She slammed her hand against the table and said, "Stop messing around! Do you understand what the Dungeon is?! What it means to be an adventurer? Taking it lightly like this-"

"I'm not taking it lightly, Miss Tulle." I picked up the next book and started flipping through. "Like I said, I'm reading."

"As if anyone can read that-"

"Goblins are creatures that tend to travel in groups. While weak, they make up for it with cunning. Although not to the extent that they can harm trained adventurer, they're a common cause of death for arrogant or careless newbies that think they're facing a mindless enemy. The best way to confront them is to quickly dispatch them and to never lower your guard. They are adept at playing dead... and also tend to enjoy playing with their opponents once they are vulnerable."

I placed my book aside and started flipping through the next in the pile. "That's what it said in the first book, page 1-4. Right?"

In the corner of my eye, I saw Eina freeze. And then she quickly pulled out the first book I read and opened it, scanning the pages. As she did...

"That's... right." Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head. "But that doesn't-"

"The primary monsters that appear on the first three floors are kobolds and goblins. However, it's possible for monsters from the next floor to ascend or spawn on rare occasions. These include the war shadows and battle ants, both of which are difficult to face without proper equipment. War shadows are known for their intangibility and rapid speed, while battle ants are known for their durability. A worst case scenario would be facing both at once, especially alone..." I closed my book and looked at Eina. "Need I go on?"

She stared back at me and then looked at the fourth book in the stack.

I could practically see the gears in her head spinning.

And then she stared at me and narrowed her eyes. "Have you read these before?"

"Not before you showed them to me, no."

Eina frowned and then stood up. Turning around, she pulled a book off her shelf and handed it to me. "Here. If you're not lying... then read this and tell me what it's about."

I shrugged and set my book down.

I was expecting a situation like this. Before becoming Bell, I was already a fast reader.

...And by fast, I meant insanely fast.

There was this thing called 'photoreading'. It worked by basically letting your eye capture the pages and words faster than you could comprehend and treating them as images while letting your subconscious mind process it.

That meant I read fast enough already. To the point where I could finish a textbook of a thousand pages in a few hours.

But now that I had my abilities as Bell...

As fast as I could turn the page.

'Compilation' seemed to include compiling information since the words practically filled my mind the moment I saw them. Not only that, but parsed in a way I could comprehend them.

And as for the book in my hands now...

"...Huh." I closed the book and handed it back to Eina. "Fairly gruesome... and also nonstandard. A compilation of reported deaths, statistics, and potential countermeasures that could have been taken. It's not really a 'book' and more personal notes... Yours, right?"

Eina paused and then straightened her glasses. Afterwards, she bowed her head. "My apologies, Mister Kranel. It appears that I let my emotions get the better of me and cloud my judgment."

I handed her book back and shook my head. "It's fine, Miss Tulle. To be fair, I'm pretty sure that most people wouldn't believe me if they saw me reading like that."

Eina frowned. "Are you really reading though? Is it a skill?"

"Hm? If you're asking if it's something I learned to do after I got my Falna, then nope. I could read... roughly the same speed as this before I came to Orario." I paused, thinking about the macros I used to read ebooks that clicked through the pages in 17 ms per page.

"...Actually, I think it might have been faster since I had some special tools to turn the page."

"Faster?" Eina blinked. "How in the world-?"

"Should I teach you?"

"Eh?"

I looked around the room and said, "You read a lot for your job, right? It'll probably be more helpful if you can increase your reading speed to free up your time... Here. Do you have some pen and paper so I can explain?"