The morning sun had barely begun its ascent when Harry woke up, stretching lazily as he glanced at the other two sleeping forms in the room. Bell was curled up, still gripping his blanket, while Lili was snuggled into a pillow, mumbling something about "stupid Soma." Smirking, Harry clapped his hands together once.
"Alright, wake up, you two! Time to get moving!"
Bell yawned, rubbing his eyes. "So early…?"
Lili groaned, barely lifting her head. "Can we not…?"
"Nope!" Harry grinned, tossing a pillow at them both. "Time to prep!"
After shaking off their grogginess, the trio quickly geared up. Bell donned his new white armor, a lightweight but durable set that allowed for maximum mobility. Lili opted for something light as well—reinforced leather and cloth that would let her stay quick on her feet. As for Harry, he didn't even bother with armor. He didn't need it. With his sheer durability and ridiculous reaction speed, wearing extra weight was just pointless.
By the time they reached the towering structure of Babel, the morning light bathed Orario in a golden hue. Welf was already there, waiting for them with his arms crossed.
"Yo!" Welf greeted, raising a hand. "So, how deep are we diving today?"
Harry grinned. "I'm going very, very low today. But you guys should stick to what's comfortable."
Bell scratched his head, thinking. "Well… since Lili and I just hit Level 2, we'll probably stick to Floors 18 to 24 to get used to our new stats."
Welf nodded. "Sounds reasonable. What about you, Harry?"
"I'll be going way lower," Harry said casually. "Since I got stronger, I wanna test how much I've improved. You guys take command of the party today. It'll be a good learning experience."
Lili nodded, though she still seemed a little uncertain. "Just… don't go getting yourself killed, okay?"
"Who do you think I am?" Harry laughed. "Alright, let's go!"
The descent into the Dungeon was smooth at first. The group moved through the upper floors efficiently, taking down monsters with relative ease. Bell and Lili quickly adjusted to their increased speed and strength, testing their new limits.
However, the moment they reached Floor 18, Harry stretched his arms and grinned.
"Well, this is where we split," he said. "You guys take care of each other."
Bell hesitated. "You sure you don't wanna stick with us?"
"I'd end up stealing all your Exelia," Harry joked. "Besides, you saw me fight before—I need tougher opponents."
Then, before anyone could say another word, Harry vanished.
One moment he was there, and the next he was gone.
Lili's eyes widened in shock. "…Did he just…?"
Welf blinked. "What the hell…? I didn't even see him move!"
Bell chuckled nervously. "Yeah… he does that."
Meanwhile, Harry was already dozens of floors below. His speed was almost incomprehensible. If he pushed himself, he could move at nearly three-fourths the speed of light—which, for an enclosed Dungeon, was absurdly dangerous. But he didn't need to go all out just yet.
As he ran, he took note of the changes in terrain. Compared to old Zeus Familia records, and the stuff he saw when he went here first, the Dungeon's deeper floors had undergone major shifts. What was once a jungle had transformed into a snowy mountain region around Floor 72.
Interesting…
Deciding to test his new power, Harry stopped in front of a large mountain.
Then, he punched it with some force.
The entire mountain crumbled into dust.
"…Oops."
His strength had been insane before, but now? His base power before leveling up had already been around Level 9.5, and thanks to the increase from hitting Level 2, his physical abilities had more than doubled. No wonder a single punch could destroy a mountain.
Next, he decided to test his speed. Focusing, he blurred forward—and in less than a second, he had crossed an entire floor.
His magical abilities were just as insane.
He unleashed Cero Kedavra, a fusion of Killing Curse magic and destructive energy, watching as it vaporized an entire glacier.
Then he tried his Royal Cero, a golden-hued blast infused with divine energy. When it struck the ground, it obliterated a valley.
Harry whistled. "Damn… that's cool."
His new Hymn Magic was even more impressive, but he didn't test it too much yet. He wanted to save the surprises for later.
After finishing his tests, Harry resumed his descent, mapping out the deeper floors as he went. The Zeus Familia's old records became unreliable around this point, so he made sure to document what he saw.
When he reached Floor 80, he found himself at a crossroads.
One path led into a brimstone-covered region, filled with sulfur and burning embers. The other path looked more like the Dungeon's usual architecture, stretching into the distance.
Harry tried the normal-looking path first… only to hit a dead-end.
"Guess that answers that," he muttered.
Turning back, he sprinted down the Brimstone Tunnel—and immediately ran into a three-headed, 25-foot-tall demon dog.
It roared, lunging at him.
Harry sighed. "Alright, let's play fetch."
Instead of killing it immediately, he decided to have some fun. He grabbed a boulder and hurled it across the cavern.
The massive cerberus chased after it.
As soon as it turned back, Harry grabbed another boulder and threw it again.
The cerberus chased after that one, too.
This continued for about five minutes before Harry got bored.
"Alright, game over."
He ran straight through the beast, impaling it with his arm like a spear. The monster collapsed instantly, its massive magic stone dropping onto the ground.
Harry picked it up. It was huge, far bigger than any normal monster's.
Was that a boss?
He made a mental note of it. If this thing was a regular respawning monster, it meant this floor was far more dangerous than previously recorded.
Should I sell this info to the Guild? …Nah. Maybe I'll tell a god or someone first.
Pocketing the stone, he decided to head back up. He had gotten his fill of excitement for the day.
Moving at near-light speed, it didn't take long for Harry to reach Floor 50, a known safe zone.
The moment he got there, he plopped down on a soft patch of moss and stretched.
"Ahhh… nap time."
Closing his eyes, he relaxed. He'd head back up to meet with Bell and the others soon… but for now, he deserved a break.
After all, destroying mountains, obliterating valleys, and playing fetch with a giant demon dog was exhausting.
AN: I believe that when an Adventurer maxes their stats out and levels up, they become 2-3 times more powerful than their former level self. I hope that makes sense. Prepare for when Harry absorbs his Avatar, the monumental increase to his power might push him into Omnipotence, or not?
Hope you enjoyed this, see you probably tomorrow (kinda got a french Oral exam coming up, Au revoir!)