Hestia moved her fingers deftly, activating the divine script.
Su Mo felt a surge of power run through his body once more—he was getting stronger again.
That said, this time the boost didn't feel as overwhelming as during his previous status updates. Likely, it was because the enhancements from leveling up were fixed in scale. Compared to the absurd growth he'd achieved by maxing out his stats earlier, this upgrade felt relatively modest.
Of course, this was only because Su Mo's stats were already so far beyond normal.
For ordinary adventurers, a level-up was the main source of power.
But for Su Mo, the true boost came from sheer stat accumulation.
Still, even if it was less dramatic than before, the enhancement was very real.
"You're now officially a Level 2 adventurer," Hestia said, exhaling deeply.
She stared at Su Mo's back in a daze for a few seconds, almost needing to confirm that everything she'd seen today wasn't just a dream. After a light slap to her own cheeks to focus, she turned to him and asked:
"Alright, now that you've leveled up, it's time to choose your Development Ability. Which one do you want?"
In this world, Development Abilities were special traits adventurers could unlock upon leveling up. They were passive or inherent abilities that significantly enhanced one's combat or utility potential—making them incredibly valuable.
Hestia listed off the available options one by one:
"[Abnormal Resistance], [Magecraft], [Lancer], and [Forge]."
Su Mo paused, folding his arms in thought.
[Abnormal Resistance] reduced damage from magic, curses, and poisons—effectively a defensive ability, excellent for survival.
[Mage] enhanced magical power.
[Blacksmith] allowed the user to craft weapons imbued with stats, magic, or even skills.
[Lancer] boosted proficiency with spears and polearms.
If this were before he'd obtained his cheat-like power to link with his other selves across different worlds, Su Mo would have picked [Abnormal Resistance] without hesitation. That kind of passive defense was incredibly useful and fit well with his survival-first philosophy.
But now things were different.
With the ability to synchronize with all versions of himself across the multiverse, his choices needed to benefit not just him, but all Su Mos.
[Abnormal Resistance] still looked tempting…
But the moment his counterpart in the God Slayer World completed the divine hunt and awakened as a Campione, he would gain a body overflowing with mana that dwarfed even dragonkind. Campiones naturally defied magic; most spells that didn't reach the level of divine authorities were completely meaningless to them.
In short, both [Abnormal Resistance] and [Mage] would become redundant.
That left two options.
"[Lancer]... ugh, just hearing the name gives me bad luck vibes," Su Mo muttered.
He couldn't help but remember the age-old trope: Lancers always draw the short end of the stick. No way was he picking something that carried that kind of superstition.
Which left him with only one viable choice.
"I'll take [Blacksmith]," Su Mo said decisively.
With this skill, he'd gain the ability to craft enchanted weapons—gear imbued with stats, magic, even skills. Most blacksmiths in Orario's weapon shops had this very ability. The rare few could even forge magic swords.
Su Mo didn't need weapons or money right now, so the skill wasn't especially useful here.
But in other worlds, it could become a huge asset for his alternate selves.
It was a good long-term investment.
.....
.....
The next morning, following the level-up...
When Su Mo awoke from his sleep, Hestia had already gotten up. On the table, breakfast was neatly arranged, and the blue-ribboned goddess had even packed some easy-to-carry food.
"You're heading to the dungeon today, right? These are some essential supplies—medical items and food. If you run into danger, promise me you'll run right away, okay?"
Hestia, for once, took on a divine air as she fussed over Su Mo like a concerned parent.
"I know, I know. I'm not planning to go too deep today. Don't worry," Su Mo replied, trying to calm her obvious anxiety.
He didn't find her nagging annoying at all. In fact, he appreciated the care. But today's trip to the dungeon wasn't about grinding monsters or exploring new floors. His real goal was to get a reasonable explanation for his powers.
A powerful adventurer who never stepped foot in the dungeon was far too conspicuous.
On the other hand, the emergence of a new prodigy—a rising star among adventurers—was something the city saw from time to time. Even if that adventurer's strength seemed excessive, people would simply chalk it up to raw talent. It wouldn't raise too many eyebrows.
At least for now, Su Mo didn't want to attract too much attention from the gods.
With Hestia reluctantly watching him go, Su Mo made his way toward the dungeon.
As planned, he first stopped by the Guild.
Unsurprisingly, Eina was already waiting for him.
When she saw Su Mo arrive, she visibly relaxed—clearly, she'd been worried he might back out at the last minute.
But then she noticed something else—Su Mo had shown up empty-handed, save for some food. She sighed.
"Just as I suspected. You didn't bring any gear."
Heading into the dungeon without weapons? Might as well serve yourself up to the monsters.
"Good thing I saved a beginner's set just in case."
From behind the counter, Eina pulled out a wrapped bundle. Inside was a short sword and a light set of armor—standard beginner gear recommended by the Guild. It offered decent protection while remaining light enough not to hinder a quick escape. Practical and reliable.
"Thanks a lot, Miss Eina!" Su Mo said.
Truthfully, he hadn't planned on using any weapons. But having some beginner gear for appearances' sake certainly wouldn't hurt. And more importantly, she'd gone out of her way to prepare it for him. That kind of thoughtfulness deserved to be acknowledged.
As Su Mo accepted the bundle without protest, one of Eina's coworkers leaned in with a teasing grin.
"Hey, you should know—that's not just some standard Guild issue set. Eina went out last night and bought it herself! You better treasure her, handsome. She wouldn't stop talking about you—mmph!"
Before she could finish, Eina, blushing furiously, rushed over and clamped a hand over her coworker's mouth, dragging her away in a panic.
After hastily dealing with her overly nosy colleague, Eina returned, looking flustered. She lowered her head slightly and mumbled an explanation.
"Don't listen to her nonsense. It's just… I noticed the Guild's beginner sets were getting kind of old. I was worried about the quality, so I bought a few replacements. That's all. You just happened to need one, so I gave it to you…"
She trailed off, ears turning red.
"Alright, alright," Su Mo said with a faint smile.
He could tell Eina's excuse didn't hold up at all. What a coincidence, right? Just so happened to upgrade the gear the night before he planned to enter the dungeon? Yeah, right.
It was pretty obvious: she had a thing for him.
But Su Mo didn't call her out on it.
"Well, either way, I really appreciate your help, Miss Eina. How about I treat you to a meal sometime as a thank-you?"
"…Okay," she said softly after a brief pause, a small smile tugging at her lips.