Journey to Planar World

Unaware that Rose was slandering him in her heart, Charlie spoke to Astraea.

”Goddess Astraea, I need your help. If there’s any lie in my words, don’t hesitate to call me out on it.”

”Very well, I will do so.”

Without asking further about his intentions, Astraea agreed without hesitation. As the Goddess of Justice, she would uphold the truth no matter what, making no exceptions for anyone—not even members of her own Familia.

”With Goddess Astraea’s guarantee, can you trust me now, Rose?”

”What are you trying to do?”

Rose furrowed her brows, her expression showing she didn’t understand what Charlie was getting at.

”If I recall correctly, I reported my level-up to Level 2 twenty-one days ago, right?”

”And?”

”That was my actual level twenty-one days ago. By the way, I’m now Level 4.”

”What?! Level 4?!”

Hearing such a shocking statement, Rose stared at Charlie in disbelief before shifting her gaze to Astraea, who remained calm and composed.

”He is not lying.” Astraea answered in a neutral tone, showing no bias.

”That’s… hard to believe…”

Even after Astraea confirmed the truth of Charlie’s words, Rose still struggled to accept it. How could an adventurer jump from Level 2 to Level 4 in just twenty-one days?

That’s ridiculous!

”There’s no way you could rise two levels in such a short time. Do you know who holds the current record for the fastest level-up? It’s the Sword Princess, Aiz Wallenstein of the Loki Familia. She reached Level 2 in one year, then averaged one level every one to one-and-a-half years, reaching Level 4 in three years. In history, no one has ever risen two levels in less than a month.”

Charlie remained completely unfazed by Rose’s skeptical tone. ”Then I’ve just rewritten history. Or do you want to say that I’m lying, and Goddess Astraea is supporting my lie?”

”T-That’s… I didn’t mean it like that.”

No matter how much she doubted Charlie, Rose didn’t believe the Goddess of Justice would lie about something this important. If the Guild asked another god to verify Charlie’s claim and found it to be false, Astraea’s reputation would be ruined.

Yet, common sense made it difficult for Rose to accept the reality before her.

Her disbelief was entirely natural.

Most adventurers never even reach Level 2. The reason is simple—they’re a bunch of cowards who keep fighting the same weak monsters every day without taking risks. However, Rose didn’t entirely blame them. After all, this was the result of the system enforced by the Guild.

Yes, this is the Guild’s fault!

The Guild had always drilled caution into adventurers, telling them not to be reckless or risk their lives. While this advice was reasonable to prevent needless deaths, it indirectly created stagnation among adventurers.

Of course, no one expected adventurers to foolishly challenge enemies far beyond their strength without a strategy. But occasionally, they needed to face challenges beyond their limits to test their true power and gather enough Excelia to level up.

Aiz Wallenstein was a prime example. She had been stuck at Level 5 for nearly three years before finally deciding to face the Floor Boss Udaeus alone. By risking her life, she defeated Udaeus and finally ascended to Level 6.

In short, the fastest way for an adventurer to level up is to fight stronger enemies. High risk yields high reward—the Excelia gained from life-or-death struggles is far more valuable than just defeating the same weak monsters every day.

Charlie was living proof of this principle.

He had fought villains from the Gotoubun no Hanayome world—from the Virus Creator MK: Kitahara, the Cyborg Human: Shishigami Hiro, the League of Villains member: Bubaigawara Jin (Twice), the Rogue Ninja: Deidara, and the Evil Dragon Fafnir.

Each of these battles was a life-or-death struggle. Charlie risked everything to defeat them, and as a result, the Excelia he gained far surpassed what ordinary adventurers could obtain in the Dungeon.

However, Rose didn’t know any of this.

From her perspective, Charlie rarely entered the Dungeon. He was never seen fighting powerful monsters or facing great danger. So how could he level up at such an insane speed?

”Rose, isn’t it? You haven’t been working at the Guild for long, have you?” Astraea asked gently.

Rose was confused by the question but chose to answer honestly.

”Yes, Astraea-sama. I’ve only been working at the Guild for three years.”

”It’s true that Charlie has broken the record for the fastest level-up, and perhaps no one will surpass him in the future. But that doesn’t mean there have never been adventurers who leveled up faster than the Sword Princess.”

”From the Hera Familia, there was Alfia, who reached Level 7 at the age of seventeen. And from the Freya Familia, there’s Ottar, who was Level 5 at the same age. They are examples of extraordinary adventurers with immense potential.”

This was the first time Rose had heard of this. If Astraea hadn’t told her, she wouldn’t have known.

”But don’t most adventurers take about eight years to level up once?” She asked curiously.

”That’s true for the majority. However, there are always geniuses with exceptional potential who defy the norm. Aiz, Alfia, Ottar, and now Charlie… They are the best of the best. So, Rose, don’t judge geniuses by conventional standards.” Astraea replied calmly.

”...”

Rose felt ashamed for comparing Charlie’s progress to that of ordinary adventurers.

”Thank you for your valuable advice, Astraea-sama.” She said sincerely, bowing her head in respect.

”You’re welcome. I’m happy to help.”

Seeing Rose accept the truth with an open mind, Astraea praised her for admitting her mistake—something most people, especially women, found difficult to do.

With Rose seemingly convinced, Charlie felt it was the right time to explain why he had ignored the Guild’s summons.

”Rose, it’s not that I was afraid of the Guild checking my level—even if they asked the gods for help. After all, I wasn’t lying.”

Rose looked up, staring at him with an indifferent expression.

”The reason is simple: my stats are almost maxed out. I just need a little more before reaching Level 5. After my next expedition into the Dungeon, I’ll level up again. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if I had to keep reporting my level updates back and forth? That’s why I wanted to report everything at once after the expedition.”

”...”

Rose could only stare at him speechlessly. Did Charlie treat leveling up as easily as breathing?

Astraea suppressed a small chuckle beside them. Though Charlie explained his reasoning casually, she knew Rose was still struggling to accept the absurd speed of his growth.

”I’ll relay everything to the Guild’s higher-ups.” Rose finally said after collecting her thoughts.

”Thank you, Rose.” Charlie replied.

”It’s part of my job.” Rose answered flatly, then bowed. ”Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Though Rose had accepted Charlie’s explanation, she still couldn’t bring herself to like him. No matter how much of a genius he was, he was still a playboy living under the same roof with three beautiful girls. That alone was enough to keep her from being impressed. After giving her final farewell, she left the Empyrean Citadel.

As soon as the door closed, a voice whined in complaint.

”Finally! I’ve been waiting forever!”

Aphrodite, who had been observing from a distance, stepped forward with a charming smile and immediately clung tightly to Charlie’s arm, her eyes sparkling.

”Let’s go on that date now before anything else interrupts us!”

Charlie sighed with a wry smile, letting himself be dragged out by the Goddess of Beauty.

”Have fun, you two.” Astraea said warmly, waving at them.

In the corner of the room, Aishia and Est—Charlie’s two spirit companions—simply watched the scene calmly. They showed no signs of jealousy, as if their master going on a date with another woman was completely normal.