Danmachi: The Quiet Reincarnate

Hestia stood before Cael, her heart a tumultuous mix of pride and profound unease.

His presence filled the small room, a raw, unbridled power that resonated with her divine essence. His face, despite the lingering signs of battle, held a serene kindness, a youthful innocence, yet beneath it, a mature depth that hinted at trials far beyond his fourteen years.

It was a charming, almost beautiful countenance, softened by a faint, disarming smile. The familiar, alluring pull of Grace of the Hollow Star tugged at her, a soft, unexplainable presence that constantly drew her in, making her crave his attention, his gaze, his touch.

She had learned to manage it, to recognize it for what it was—a passive, cursed attraction—but its influence was undeniable.

"You… you need a Status Update. Now," she finally breathed, her voice filled with a mixture of immense pride and a dawning, unsettling understanding of the sheer potential now radiating from him.

Cael simply nodded, his quiet determination now tinged with a hint of fatigue.

He turned, slipping off his torn armor and worn tunic, exposing his lean, muscular physique. The faded scars from the Apex Kobold were visible across his chest and side, stark against his skin—remnants of the agony that fueled his growth.

Hestia approached, her expression a mixture of awe and deliberate caution. She knew what his touch did.

The memory of her divinity vanishing, the shocking sensation of mortality, the unbidden bleed—it was burned into her mind from his very first status update. She would not make that mistake again.

Her gaze darted around the small room, landing on a quill pen on her desk. She snatched it, her fingers steady now, as she prepared for the task.

"This will be a bit… indirect," she murmured, more to herself than to him, as she poised the quill over his bare back.

The soft, unexplainable warmth of Grace of the Hollow Star intensified as she neared, making her want to discard the quill and simply embrace him, but she resisted.

She pressed the tip of the quill to his skin, maintaining a slight distance with her fingers.

The connection was made, not directly skin-to-skin, but through the mundane object, enough to allow her divine power to flow without being completely negated by Veilpiercer.

Cael braced himself. The moment the quill's tip connected, a familiar, agonizing tremor surged through him.

It was the precursor to Crimson Rebirth, amplified and intensified by the formal process of the Status Update itself. This time, however, it was more violent, more absolute than anything he had endured before.

It felt like his very existence was being recalibrated, torn apart and reassembled. A searing heat spread across his back from the quill's touch, followed by a profound, deep-seated ache that radiated through every bone, every muscle.

His body convulsed involuntarily, a silent scream tearing through his mind.

This was the excelia, torrents of it, amplified tenfold by his unique curse, being formally recognized and etched into his being. It was the pain of his muscles tearing and reforming, his very cellular structure restructuring itself in an instant, pushed to its absolute limits by the sheer volume of experience from the irregular.

He clenched his jaw, biting down on his tongue, blood filling his mouth. It was not enough to muffle the raw, guttural scream that tore itself from his throat, echoing in the small room.

His entire body arched off the ground, consumed by an unbearable, mind-shattering torment.

Sweat instantly slicked his skin, running in rivulets down his back and chest. His vision blurred, the small room seeming to spin as the agony peaked.

It wasn't just physical pain; it was the existential torment of forced metamorphosis, a violent rebirth.

Hestia, her own face pale, watched the faint, shimmering glow that appeared on Cael's back as the process unfolded.

Her eyes widened, tracing the numbers and letters that etched themselves into existence. She saw the values climb, then accelerate, then soar to heights she had never witnessed in a Level 1 adventurer, her own unique wonder.

All the while, the subtle, alluring pull of Grace of the Hollow Star tugged at her, making her want to comfort him, to draw him close, even as his screams tore at her heart.

Then came the tell-tale sign, the culmination of such explosive growth.

A blinding flash erupted from Cael's back, a golden light that temporarily eclipsed the small room. A resonant, ethereal chime echoed, shaking the very foundations of the small house.

It was the sound of a breakthrough, a monumental leap in power.

Hestia gasped, her hands flying back, the quill clattering to the floor.

LEVEL UP!

The golden light faded, leaving Cael trembling, utterly spent.

He stood there, chest heaving, his muscles screaming from the recent ordeal. Yet, beneath the exhaustion, an undeniable sense of renewed power coursed through him, a stark, profound reality.

The transformation was complete.

Hestia, still reeling from the sheer scale of his growth, quickly looked at his newly updated Falna.

Her eyes scanned the numbers, her breath catching in her throat.

STATUS

Level: 2

Strength (STR): I0

Endurance (END): I0

Dexterity (DEX): I0

Agility (AGL): I0

Magic (MAG): I0

Development Abilities

Abnormal Resistance: I

Self-Recovery: I

Hestia stared, a mix of disbelief and overwhelming pride washing over her.

"Cael… you… you leveled up," she whispered, her voice barely audible, filled with a raw astonishment. "On your very first delve! And look at your stats! They were so high, you broke the limits of Level 1!"

Her gaze lingered on the 'I' rank, indicating a new, untouched potential. "And… and new Development Abilities! Abnormal Resistance and Self-Recovery! This is… incredible!"

She brought a paper and printed those stats on it, only showing the new stats and his new development abilities.

Her gaze softened with concern as she noticed his trembling, the beads of sweat still glistening on his skin, the faint, lingering scent of blood from his bitten tongue.

"That must have been… terrible. The pain," she murmured, knowing well the torment Crimson Rebirth inflicted. She then shook her head, a complex emotion warring within her.

"An irregular! On the third floor? Cael, that's almost unheard of! That explains the immense excelia… but to defeat it solo, on your first day, and at Level 1… it's a miracle!"

She walked around him, a small, proud goddess beaming with awe, even as the unsettling questions about his curse continued to swirl.

"You are truly my child, Cael. My powerful, powerful child!"

She then recalled the immense sum he had placed on the table. "And all that Valis! This is an incredible start, Cael! You've achieved more in a single day than most adventurers do in months!"

Cael picked up the heavy pouch of Valis. "I exchanged them at the Guild," he explained succinctly. "310,000 Valis."

Hestia nearly fainted again. "Three hundred ten thousand Valis!?" she shrieked, clutching her chest. "Cael! That's enough for weeks, months even! We can buy proper food! You can get better armor and weapons!"

Cael nodded. "I have my sword. It serves me well."

He glanced at the simple iron blade leaning against the wall. His Bladebond skill meant that his reliance was on his connection to a blade, not necessarily a magically enhanced one. It was the bond itself, fueled by his injuries, that brought the true power.

"But… Level 2!" Hestia murmured again, still trying to fully grasp the reality. "This changes everything. You'll attract attention, Cael. Great attention."

Her expression grew serious. "Your abilities… Veilpiercer and Grace of the Hollow Star... we need to be very careful. Such rapid growth and these powers… it's not normal. It's truly a curse and a blessing. And your pain… Cael, you endure so much."

The alluring pull of his Grace of the Hollow Star was a constant undercurrent, making her want to protect him fiercely, even from the consequences of his own nature.

Cael met her gaze, his eyes calm and resolute. "It is the path I walk, but what is the Grace of the Hollow Star? Goddess Hestia?"

Hestia froze as the corner of her mouth twitched, 'I forgot, I hid that from him!'

"We should get you proper rest," Hestia decided, trying to distract him and not ask her about her slip up, her divine energy now focused on practical matters, trying to push aside the unsettling revelations about his true nature.

"And perhaps we should consider getting you some better armor, even if your sword suffices. We have the Valis now. You need protection, Cael, no matter how strong you become."

Cael nodded in agreement. He was physically remade, but the mental strain of the continuous pain and transformation lingered. A deep rest was indeed necessary.

His mind was already planning his next delve, pushing deeper into the Dungeon. The fourth floor now beckoned, a new challenge for his newly ascended self.

He knew the pain would come again, fierce and absolute, but so would the growth.

This was his truth. This was his strength.

'But what is she trying to hide.' Cael thought to himself as he looked at Hestia averting her gaze from him.

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