"Would you… like to become an adventurer?"
Xyros looked up at the exquisite girl sitting properly across from him. He could feel the sincere hope in her eyes, the genuineness of this invitation.
From the information he had gathered earlier, this was the office of the Hephaestus Familia's weapons shop.
Hestia's arrival in Orario should be before the main story began. The original protagonist had not joined her Familia yet.
Her Familia was currently in that difficult starting-from-scratch phase, which meant a novice adventurer would have to rely entirely on themselves.
But ordinary new adventurers basically had no chance of joining a powerful Familia.
After all, Familias had been developing in Orario for so long that a derivative industry had emerged, similar to the esports training systems in Xyros's previous life, youth training programs.
Selecting and nurturing talented children was always more reliable than picking up random adventurers off the street.
Compared to Familias like Soma's, or those that never even appeared in the original story, the Hestia standing before him was undoubtedly his best choice at this stage.
"Of course."
"If you come to Orario, a life without becoming an adventurer is meaningless."
It wasn't a lie.
Embracing this extraordinary world of magic—for Xyros, a transmigrator, he had to consider if this was the one and only chance of his lifetime.
Hearing Xyros's clear affirmation, Hestia looked up at the spirited young man in front of her. She could feel the weight behind his words.
"I… I've been planning to start my own Familia recently."
"Currently, there aren't any adventurers who've joined yet."
"So I wanted to ask—oh, what should I call you?"
"Xyros."
"Mr. Xyros, I was wondering… would you be interested in joining the Hestia Familia?"
As she extended the invitation, the girl felt her heart flutter with nervousness.
This anxiety was completely different from what she had felt while recruiting at the Guild earlier.
Hestia worried whether her fledgling, makeshift Familia could bear the weight of such dreams.
"Of course, if you have a better option…"
"Maybe I could help you get in touch with other gods' Familias."
"I think Lady Hestia's Familia sounds perfect."
First of all, a beautiful girl with a cute face and big boobs. Secondly, the promise of treating each other like family.
Xyros really had no reason to refuse.
For a moment, Hestia thought Xyros's answer was just a polite brush-off. It wasn't until she saw the unwavering certainty in the young man's eyes that she truly understood.
"Really?"
"I just arrived in Orario not too long ago. The conditions in my Familia might be much harder than you imagine. I might not even be able to offer much help myself."
"Even so, you still want to join my Familia?"
"Correct."
Xyros had not changed his mind.
Choosing to join the newly formed Hestia Familia meant dungeon delving would be tougher early on, but the benefit was having a goddess who could frequently update his status.
Look at it another way.
Wasn't this just getting a head start on joining the main character's team?
His expression remained calm as he looked at the stunned goddess.
"Lady Hestia, what should we do next?"
"Just a moment!"
"I'll go get the things needed to bestow the Falna."
That the young man she had found unconscious was not only willing to join her fledgling Familia, but also seemed so determined… to Hestia, this felt like fate.
But before she could grant him the Blessing, she needed to ask Hephaestus about the proper procedure.
Mainly because, well, she had zero experience with this part.
Most importantly, the first adventurer joining her Familia symbolized a brand new beginning for her in Orario.
After transmigrating into the world of Danmachi, whether it was his anticipation for the supernatural system, his need to gain a foothold in the chaotic city of Orario, or facing the Black Dragon crisis looming in two years.
Xyros had every reason to become an adventurer.
Thankfully, things were progressing as he had hoped. After joining the Hestia Familia, a completely new adventurer's life awaited him.
He stood up from the sofa and took a look around Hephaestus's office.
His gaze stopped on a glass-framed mirror not far away. Seeing the face reflected in it, he felt a brief moment of disorientation.
The person in the mirror was still him, with familiar features.
But compared to his previous life, worn down by society's trials, the face before him now was that of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, all youthful angles and soft edges.
The good news: his body was back at its peak, energetic and, let's be honest, looking its best.
"Gotta say, since I've been reborn, I'm definitely going to live this life to the fullest."
Just as Xyros was brimming with anticipation for the unknowns of Orario, the office door quietly opened. Hestia walked in, holding a piece of parchment.
The woman was truly lovely.
Her slightly cute, miraculously beautiful face was lit up with happiness, a sweet dimple appearing at the corner of her upturned lips.
"Oh, right."
"Mr. Xyros, next I'll need you to take off your shirt and lie face down on the sofa," Hestia explained earnestly as she placed the parchment on the table.
Granting a Falna meant dripping a drop of divine blood onto a Familia member's back, bestowing upon them the potential to gain and continually grow in power.
An adventurer's "vessel" represented their latent potential.
Before receiving the Falna, not even a god could know what talents a member might possess.
There were even a few rare deities who would lose interest upon discovering a child in their Familia was ordinary, relegating them to the margins and gradually forgetting them.
'I would never do that.'
Ever since the idea of starting a Familia took root, Hestia had envisioned it as a warm, close-knit "family."
But now, facing the crucial moment of bestowing her Blessing upon a new family member, Xyros, it was hard not to be filled with anticipation for the talents he might hold.
The girl sat on the edge of the sofa. After pricking her finger with a silver needle, she let a drop of crimson divine blood fall onto Xyros's back.
In an instant, a soft glow accompanied by obscure, ancient divine script gradually appeared across his skin.
As the script solidified into a status panel, Hestia picked up the parchment beside her and began transcribing his initial base stats.
She didn't forget to explain, "Mr. Xyros all adventurers start with base stats at zero."
"To improve them, you have to go into the Dungeon, fight the monsters there, and then update your status through me."
"Lady Hestia, maybe you could just call me by my name?"
Xyros was well aware of these basic mechanics. Right now, he was more interested in correcting the formality.
After all, gods in this world were billions of years old. Being overly polite would just create distance.
Now that they were Familia, keeping things so formal seemed unnecessary.
"Of course."
Hestia was well aware of the distance her formality created. She was mostly worried that being too forward might scare off this precious first member she had finally recruited.
She lowered her gaze slightly, focusing her attention on the parchment bearing his engraved status.
Xyros
Level: Lv. 1
Strength: I0 Endurance: I0 Dexterity: I0 Agility: I0 Magic: I0
Standard initial stats.
But what left Hestia utterly bewildered were Xyros's Skills—
[Skills] [Cheating Outlander] · Effect triggers only within the Dungeon. · Is hated by the Dungeon. · Dungeon environment may change unpredictably, leading to encounters with unique monsters.
[Rebirth] · Can be resurrected upon being killed. · Limited to one resurrection. After use, can be replenished by gathering Soul fragments from slain monsters. · Daily usage limit resets at midnight.
[Character Save Slot] · Can spend soul fragments to draw Character Cards, granting different abilities. · Only one Character Card can be active at a time. · The number and strength of available cards increase with personal Level.
Current Character Cards: None.
"Honestly..."
After reading through the skills of her new adventurer, Xyros, the goddess, who had slid right off the edge of the sofa onto the floor, couldn't help but murmur to herself:
"Even from a god's perspective… in all the long ages of Orario, a miracle like this has probably never happened before, has it?"