I climbed the spiral stairs. They were made of ash-colored stones. The staircase connected the first floor of the dungeon to the floor of <Babel>.

The room was exceptionally clean, contrasting with the interior of the dungeon. Several adventurers could be seen chatting, leaving, or entering the dungeon. I ignored them and walked to the left side, where <Items Drop> or <Magic Stones> could be exchanged for valis.

8,000 valis. That was what I earned on the first day of my foray. I had only made it up to the fifth floor, which was understandable. I also got another 3000 valis from the <Bags of Valis> dropped by the monsters.

That amount was enough to feed Kami-sama and keep those huge breasts healthy.

On the other hand, I gained many points in basic abilities since I have killed many monsters up to floor 5.

<<Status>>

— Tooru

— Level: 1

<<Basic Abilities>>

Strength: 19 (+7) | Endurance: 17 (+5) | Dexterity: 21 (+7) | Agility: 15 (+9) | Magic: 0 (+10)

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Looking at my current state, I was delighted. An indescribable thrill bubbled in my heart every time I saw the numbers go up in my status.

So far, I only had one item equipped, which showed a few extra points in the brackets. They were a complete plus that added to my own personal strength. I was eager to find other items.

I bought some food that looked delicious at the stalls and went back to the abandoned church. It was a ghostly area, so no adventurers lived and swarmed around.

"Kami-sama, I'm back!"

—Tututu!—

The sound of feet stomping on the wooden floor quickly approached.

"Tooru-kun!"

A bullet in the form of Kami-sama slammed into my chest. Her cheeks brushed against my chest as she breathed in my scent.

"This... Kami-sama-"

"Why didn't you warn me that you were leaving?! Tooru-kun, you idiot! I thought I'd see you off properly during your first foray."

While saying that, Kami-sama repeatedly pounded my chest with her fists. Tears were about to well up in her crystalline blue eyes.

"I apologize for that. I guess I was anxious about my first experience and overlooked it."

I had left her stranded, not even waking her up to warn her of my departure. Expecting a similar reaction was normal.

"Hmph, Tooru-kun stupid."

I smiled awkwardly at my Kami-sama, who kept sniffing at me.

"I'm sweating right now, so...".

"Fufu~ Tooru-kun, I like your fragrance."

With a soft smile, Kami-sama's cheeks flushed. As if realizing something, she let go of me and circled my body with a worried expression. Kami-sama, it's a little late for that.

"Don't try harder than you should, Tooru-kun. My heart won't be able to see you hurt."

"Of course, just enough to make me stronger."

I scratched my cheek and stroked Kami-sama's head as I walked deeper into the church.

"Wait, Tooru-kun, is it me, or has your figure improved?"

"Mm, something like that. Is it due to today's physical exertion? I really don't know."

Although I was malnourished to a great extent, my lean body had been covered by a layer of new flesh. It took time and perhaps a night of deep sleep to fully recover.

"Is that true? Physique isn't something you can improve overnight, you know?"

I sat down on the couch and left the paper bag covering the food on the table. Kami-sama sat next to me. Too close; her two breasts molded to my arm. I even think she was doing it on purpose.

"What's there-oh? I know, it's a surprise!"

Kami-sama puffed out her prominent chest as she took out the food. A hot smoke rose. Kami-sama's small nose twitched as she lost herself in the smell of the food. It was likely that she had only survived on a few <jagamarukun>until today.

"Tooru-kun. Is this for me?"

Kami-sama turned her head toward me. I simply nodded with a smile.

Her face lit up, and at the end, she practically sobbed before entering my embrace. She was only 5'6", so her head was buried in my chest.

"Humm, thank you, Tooru-kun."

I shook my head.

"There's no need for a thank you between us. I'll be in charge of putting the daily food on our table from now on."

"I'm sorry. I can't even help you with the basics. I'm a useless goddess; you did not need to choose me. You should have found a better god, sniff~."

Her feeling of helplessness was sincere. My heart was moved to see that she was really concerned about my safety. So she had that weight on her conscience. You know, when they give you something, but you have nothing to give to the other party —something like that.

I lifted her chin. Her big blue eyes widened in nervousness.

"I will never regret choosing you, Kami-sama. Don't put yourself down; you are a kind and loving goddess who brings me the warmth that no one else can bestow upon me. All I need is for you to welcome me back every time I return from my adventures."

"Tooru-kun... you, wahh~."

She burst into tears. Kami-sama... She really was sensitive.

—Maybe she simply needed someone in her life.

Calming down, she blushed and wiped away the trace of her tears. She was embarrassed. Sitting comfortably, she salivated at the sight of the food.

—Gururu—

A growl came from Kami-sama's stomach. She covered her flushed face with her hands. She was even more embarrassed.

"Haha, go ahead; it's all yours."

"Aren't you going to eat, Tooru-kun? There's a lot of food; I don't think I can eat it all."

"I already have a full belly. If you can't eat it all, we can save it for another time."

Kami-sama nodded. She took the roasted thigh of a chicken and shredded it with her teeth.

—Munch—

"Delicious!"

Her blue eyes shone like stars. She increased the speed at which she devoured the food like there was no tomorrow. My worries that she might choke were only momentary fumes.

Soon she devoured all the food on the table.

—Hey~ that was a lot, even though I couldn't eat that much.

"Ahhh~ I'm tired~."

Kami-sama melted on the sofa while stroking her belly. Despite her petite figure, her belly wasn't bulging.

"Hehe, that was quite a feast; thank you, Tooru-kun."

A bright smile made my heart smile in satisfaction. I shook my head and wiped Kami-sama's cheek with my fingers. It was sloppy.

"U-umm, how did it go in the dungeon? It's your first day, after all."

She seemed to want to change the subject.

"I didn't expect it to be so easy either. I had a hard time getting over the first death, especially the blood, but I guess for my first time, I did okay."

"Umm, I imagine you made it all the way up to the second floor, didn't you?"

She nodded with understanding. Floor two was the standard limit to which new adventurers could go. But...

I was a particular case.

"I descended to the fifth floor. There was no major obstacle preventing me from going up."

"What?!" Kami-sama stood up from her seat and looked at me in surprise: "That's absurd; you don't even have the skills to protect yourself on those floors!".

She was worried and didn't doubt my words.

Well, I didn't show her my skills, so she still thinks I don't have them. Should I tell her about my ability? Kami-sama will know anyway when I update my status. That makes me wonder, will my basic ability points increase when my status is updated? It would be great if that happens, it would be a plus on top of the dungeon gain.

"As you can see, I'm alive and kicking."

"That's not the problem, you idiot! What am I going to do when you don't come back? That's scary, you know?"

I sighed and rubbed Kami-sama's bulging cheek. She looked like she wanted to scold me more.

"As I said, I won't die even if you want me to die. Even if you want me to walk away, I won't leave you alone again, that I can promise you. Kami-sama, I hope you're ready to spend the rest of your life with me."

I laughed at the sight of her flushed face. My words could be considered a confession, although that was not my intention. But since she somehow looked happy, I won't stick my nose in.

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"T-Tooru-kun....".

Hestia was sitting on top of Tooru's back. Her anxious voice made Tooru turn his head upwards, meeting his goddess' look of horror.

"W-why are you giving that look, Kami-sama? Is there something wrong with my Status?"

Her small face was girded with worry, which made Tooru's heart race. He had a bad feeling about it.

"Your Status is not... I can't find your Status!"

"What, really?!"

Tooru's eyes widened, unable to hide his surprise. He quickly called out his <System>, and a faint sigh escaped his lips. Everything was fine. However, he didn't understand why his status didn't appear on his back.

Hestia said nothing; she looked at Tooru's white back. The intricate figures that should belong to the <Hestia Familia> mark were nowhere to be seen. She rubbed her eyes, trying to see if it was just a figment of her imagination; however, she was disappointed.

She pricked her fingertips, and her blood dripped onto Tooru's back. But, even after the blood fluctuated on his back, his Status did not appear.

Hestia panicked. What was she to do?

"Kami-sama, are you okay? Can you tell me what's going on?".

Hestia looked at the boy and noticed that his blue eyes were focused on her chest. She was not upset, but rather her heart was pounding with happiness. Tooru saw her as a woman and not as an unattainable goddess. But now was not the time to get carried away with such things.

How could she say that his Status had basically disappeared? Tooru would undoubtedly be depressed if he heard such news, but what could she do? Keep it hidden and let him enter the dungeon when he didn't possess a status?

With those thoughts, Hestia's cheeks lost their color.

"T-Tooru-kun, I don't know how I'll be able to explain it to you, really. As a new goddess in <Genkai>, you are the first member of my <Familia>, so my experiences are almost nil."

Tooru said nothing and simply let his goddess continue with the explanation.

"This is the first time I've faced a similar situation, and I've never heard other gods mention it... but, hard as it is to believe, your <Status> disappeared."

Hestia bit her lips and closed her eyes tightly in helplessness.

She had let down the only member of her <Familia>. She wasn't even good enough to be a goddess; why did she descend to this mortal plane in the first place?

"I see."

Tooru's voice sounded unusually calm, causing Hestia to open her eyes to look at him.

"What, you're not surprised?! I wasn't kidding! If we can't find a solution, you can't go back to the dungeon!"

Hestia spun Tooru around underneath her to look him straight in the eyes. But no matter how often she looked into his face, she couldn't notice any fluctuation in Tooru's expression.

—Couldn't he process the information?