Over the past fifteen years, Kitahara had thoroughly mapped out the mechanics of his Divine Protection Panel.
It was a simple system. He only needed to kill beings the panel designated as enemies to gain Exilia. Once the gauge hit one hundred percent, he would receive a random Divine Protection, and his Experience Level would increase.
Leveling up meant the next threshold would be even higher. He had already verified this through years of blood and sweat.
[𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁: 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮]
[𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝘅, 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗱]
[𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀: 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱]
[𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹: 𝟭 (𝟰𝟱%)]
This was his current Status Panel.
The Protection of the Phoenix had been a gift from his Newbie Gift Pack. The Divine Protection of the War God, however, was the first reward he had earned through his own effort. He had spent years hunting Monsters in the mountains to fill that first gauge.
The Divine Protection of the War God granted him combat experience and techniques on par with a deity of war. At the moment he received it, Kitahara became one of the most skilled fighters in this world.
Even against a true war god, he wouldn't flinch. As long as they didn't use their divine power, he was their equal. After all, the Divine Protection was the god's own power... a skill of the same caliber.
Once he obtained it, he no longer had to gamble his life against the mountain beasts at the age of twelve.
His physical body was still that of a child, but his technique was absolute. He could slaughter anything in the wilderness with ease.
In the stories of Danmachi, the war god Takemikazuchi claimed he could handle a Level 4 Adventurer despite having only a mortal's strength. Kitahara now possessed that same level of skill. With his current physical capabilities, the animals in these mountains were nothing more than practice.
Furthermore, the Divine Protection of the War God provided him with specialized physical training methods.
In just three years, without any special supplements or magic, he had pushed his body to four times the strength of a normal adult. It was an impressive feat, but Kitahara wasn't satisfied.
Bell Cranel, the protagonist of this world, reached Level 6 in a single year once he received his Falna. His strength eventually allowed him to trade blows with a Level 7.
'If I didn't know that, I might be happy with this pace,' he thought, his eyes narrowing. 'But knowing what's possible... how can I settle for this?'
He needed a stage where his Divine Protection Panel could truly shine. That stage was Orario.
The Exilia gauge didn't show raw numbers, only percentages. When he killed a powerful predator or a dangerous Monster, the percentage would jump. Sometimes it was one percent... sometimes it was two or three.
The amount of Exilia was clearly tied to the strength of the prey.
Orario sat atop the Dungeon. It was a bottomless pit filled with powerful Monsters. It was the perfect place to farm.
He wanted to find a Familia, join a god, and use the unique nature of the Falna to grow while harvesting massive amounts of Exilia.
Kitahara could have left for Orario years ago. He chose to stay. The old man who had adopted him was reaching the end of his life, and Kitahara was not the type to abandon a benefactor.
He stayed to see the old man through his final days. It was the right thing to do.
The old man passed away a month ago.
With his guardian gone, Kitahara had no more ties to this place. His plan to head to Orario and begin his true path to power was finally on the agenda.
He had started hunting in the mountains at the age of six. Relying on the Protection of the Phoenix, he had hunted with reckless abandon for five years to fill his first gauge.
Now, his style was no longer desperate. It was refined.
He estimated that his current physical Status was comparable to a Level 1 Adventurer with Rank B or A attributes. Before a formal level up, the gap wasn't insurmountable.
Kitahara stood before the old man's grave one last time. He turned back to the house, grabbed his packed bags, and walked away from the village he had called home for fifteen years.
'I wonder what the timeline is... has the story even started yet?'
The region was incredibly remote. Merchant caravans were rare, and the ones that did pass through were small and poorly informed.
He had asked several merchants about Orario. They knew it existed, but they knew nothing of its current affairs.
Regardless of the era, his plan remained the same.
He said his goodbyes to the villagers and stepped onto the road. He didn't know the exact coordinates of the city, so he planned to find a caravan and follow them.
It took ten days of travel to reach a city large enough to have trade ties with the center of the world.
He found a caravan departing for Orario within the week. After negotiating a fair price, Kitahara joined their ranks and watched the city walls fade into the distance.