Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka-Vol 1 Chapter 1: WORLD, REALITY, AND DESIRE

“Miiiiisssssssssssssss Eina!!!!!!!!!”

“Hm?”

Eina Tulle, a receptionist for the “guild” that manages all dungeon activities, looked up from the book she held loosely in one hand.

Her long, pointed ears twitched as her transparent emerald eyes tore themselves away from the pages. Her mid-length brown hair shone in the early afternoon sunlight. Despite her good looks, she was not quite as “perfect” as the elves. It was as if her beauty had been glued on, but a corner was sticking up. The guild uniform, black jacket and pants, suited her thin frame very well.

Known as the young Miss Congeniality within the guild, Eina was half human, half elf.

Adventurers were usually out in a dungeon at this time of day, so Eina had decided to read to pass the time. She responded quickly to the voice that had called her name.

He made it back safely again today…

What had it been, two weeks?

Since this bright-eyed kid came in to register with the guild?

It had fallen on her to become this fourteen-year-old’s dungeon adviser

and coach.

He was an adventurer, a job that anyone, regardless of age or gender, could secure. But so many people died doing it. He was still a child, and she hated sending him into such a dangerous place.

The only reason she worried for the boy’s, Bell Cranell’s, safety was that he was in her charge. She smiled, happy to hear his voice and relieved that he had returned safely.

She hurried to fix her glasses and straighten her clothes before he came through the door.

“MMMMMIIIISSSSSSSSSSS EINA!!!!!!!”

Someone covered in black blood flew into the guild?!?! Is that him?!?!

“EEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!”

“Tell me everything you know about Aiz Wallenstein, please!!!!”

“You know, Bell, after getting covered in blood, you should at least take a shower before coming in here…”

“Sorry about that…”

I can only hang my head and listen as she speaks.

We are in a small room set up in the lobby of Guild headquarters. Sitting in chairs across from each other, there’s only a table between us.

I’m clean at this point, but that doesn’t stop her from making an overly dramatic sigh.

“I can’t believe you walked through the city as such a revolting mess! It makes me question your sanity.”

“B… but…”

Hearing someone as pretty as Eina say something that harsh so directly cuts really deep. Tears are welling up in the corners of my eyes.

Eina cracks a painful smile and gently pushes my nose with her finger. “Be careful next time, okay?” she asks, giving me a big smile. I nod up and down as fast as I can.

“So, you wanted information on Aiz Wallenstein, yes? Can I ask why?”

“Well, about that…”

I tell her everything about what had just happened, my face getting redder with every word.

I start with how I decided to go from the lower second floor of the dungeon, my usual route, down to the lower fifth.

And then about how I encountered a Minotaur the moment I arrived.

Even about trying to run away and getting cornered.

Then being saved from certain death by the “kenki,” Aiz Wallenstein.

Finally, I tell her how I tried to say “thank you” and reach up to shake her hand, but my whole body was shaking. I suddenly got shy and really nervous. All the blood drained from my face in the blink of an eye. In the end, I ran back to headquarters at full speed.

Eina is nice enough to lend me her ears, but her face gets more and more frightening with each passing detail.

“Aaahh, why don’t you ever listen to me?!? You are alone, solo, in the Dungeon! You can’t just suddenly go that deep without any preparation! How many times have I told you that adventurers shouldn’t go on adventures?!?”

“Y-yes ma’am…”

—Adventurers shouldn’t go on adventures—

That’s Eina’s motto. It may sound like one heck of a contradiction, but she’s really saying, “Get some insurance and safety first.”

Seems like newbies like me really need to take her words to heart. I heard most adventurers who die in the dungeon are newbies, too.

No one could have guessed that an encounter with a category Level Two monster like the Minotaur would have happened on the lower fifth floor of the Dungeon.

Everyone knows that Minotaurs only show up on the lower fifteenth floor or lower. I can hear Eina’s words now: “No telling what will happen in a

dungeon.”

But seriously, if it weren’t for that girl, I’d be dead right about now. Just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine and almost makes me piss myself.

I swear on my soul that I’ll never forget another word out of Eina’s mouth.

“Sounds to me like you’ve got some weird fantasy about dungeons, and that was the reason for today’s events. Am I right?”

“Ha-ha, ha-ha-haaaaaa…”

Yep, she was right. But if I admitted that I went on an adventure to meet girls, she’d clobber me right here.

It’s true, the main reason that I wanted to become an adventurer in the first place was the not-so-pure goal of meeting as many pretty girls and beautiful ladies as I could, just like the heroes in tales of adventure. Eina probably saw it written all over my face when I registered for the Guild. Even though she doesn’t try to control me, she always looks at me like I’m up to something.

But from today on, I’m turning over a new leaf. All of those dirty daydreams are out the window. From today, I’ll be going into the dungeons with a purer purpose.

All because I met that girl.

“Um, if it’s okay… Could you tell me about Ms. Wallenstein now?”

“Well, it’s against Guild regulations to give out adventurers’ personal information…”

She paused for a moment before saying, “All I can tell you is information that is already out there?” She might just be helping me out because I’m a newbie, but Eina’s kindness is amazing.

Full Name: Aiz Wallenstein. She is the female warrior at the core of Loki Familia.

There is no question that her swordsmanship is on par with the strongest of all adventurers. She once wiped out a horde of Level Five monsters by herself, earning her the nickname “kenki,” or sword princess. Some go as far as to call her “senki,” which sounds like “Lady of Combat.”

I heard that the gods call her Aiz “maji musou,” or “Aiz the Unequaled.”

Males who try to put the moves on her are slain, utterly destroyed.

She just recently passed the thousand-kill mark.

“Let’s see, what else… With her amazing body and strength like that, there are plenty of things to talk about.”

“Um… Not as an adventurer. What does she do in her free time? What food does she like? Maybe you could tell me more about the last thing you said there…”

Eina blinks her eyes two, three times. I think my face is on fire.

“What’s this? Bell, do you have a thing for Ms. Wallenstein?”

“No, nah… well, kinda… yes…”

“Hee-hee, I don’t blame you, though. I’m female, same as her, but my heart skips a beat when I see her.”

Eina lets out a small chuckle as she brings a cup of tea to her lips. How can she be that elegant just drinking tea?

It’s not just Eina who looks up to Aiz Wallenstein; she’s popular with other adventurers, too. Eyes like jewels framed with soft skin, a delicate chin, a pretty nose. She is the living, breathing definition of beauty. There are rumors about how many men are after her heart, but no one knows for sure. Eina is my boss! And we are talking like this! Am I a lucky guy or what?

Despite being half human, Eina has all of the refined beauty of a full-blooded elf. I can’t believe how friendly and open she is with me. She tells me many people judge her on her looks and don’t know her real personality.

Eina looks a little down after saying that but tells me that she’s never heard of anyone dating Ms. Wallenstein.

Fist pump! Hell yeah!

“I really don’t know about her hobbies or anything like that… Wait, wait, wait! This is a workplace! These questions have nothing to do with your job! I’m not a matchmaker!”

“But you could try?”

“N-O. Unless you have something else to discuss about your job, go home already!”

She stands up and almost chases me out of the room. It was pointless to try and stay any longer. She follows me out into the Guild lobby.

The lobby is a little bit underwhelming even though it’s made of white marble. But all the pictures of famous adventurers and various gods on the walls give me a sense of being part of something big.

“Ahh, you’re such a tease, Miss Eina…”

“You know, you are an adventurer. There are plenty of other things that you should be thinking about, right?”

“Yeaaahhh.”

Yes, I know.

The only option for people without someone to support and protect them, like me, is to work hard in the dungeons to make enough money to see tomorrow. Also, if I don’t know my contract inside and out, I’m up the creek without a paddle. Money is always tight.

Plus there is someone… no, a goddess, who I need to support. I don’t have time to get caught up in my feelings for Ms. Wallenstein.

“You already have a ‘blessing’ from a god other than Loki, right? To be in a relationship with someone in a different Familia would be difficult, to say the least.”

“… Yeah?”

“I don’t want to say give up, but you have to face facts. Otherwise, this will only be a problem for you.”

Focus on being an adventurer for now; that has to be what she’s trying to say.

But seriously, it felt like a death sentence when she brought up the Familia.

Eina must have noticed the will to live draining from my face and decided to try and get my mind off of it by getting back to business.

“Are you going to get some money?”

“… Well, yeah. I slew a few monsters before meeting the Minotaur, so that’s something.”

“Then let’s go to the Exchange. I’ll walk you there.”

Now I feel bad because she’s going out of her way. Sure, left and right don’t seem all that different to me right now, but she’s already done so much.

I still feel okay talking to her, but there is no way I’ll be able to look her in the eyes after today.

The Exchange is within headquarters itself. We go there, and I pick up my pay for today.

I trade in some magic stone shards I got for killing mostly goblins and kobolds. Everything comes out to about 1,200 vals worth of money. Less than usual, but considering I ran away from Ms. Wallenstein, I didn’t spend as much time as I usually do in the Dungeon.

Let’s see… Weapon repairs, food for me and the goddess… No new items for me today…

“Bell?”

“Oh… yes? What is it?”

Eina had walked with me almost out the door, but she stopped just before leaving headquarters.

She looks like she has something on her mind, and then just says it:

“Girls like men who are strong and can be relied on. So if you work hard, get stronger, then maybe, possibly… You know?”

“……”

“Maybe if you make a name for yourself, Ms. Wallenstein might notice you?”

I stop and chew over those words for a moment. Did Eina, the boss who is always looking down on me, just say that? She’s trying to cheer me on as another person, not a superior. Oh yeah, that’s a smile growing on my face.

Energy and hope flood in as I step out onto the street. Just because I feel like it, I turn on my heel and yell back at her:

“Miss Eina! I love you!!!!!!!”

“… What?”

“Thank you!!!!”

Eina’s bright-red face makes me laugh as I set out into the busy streets of the city.

The Labyrinth City, Orario.

There is a labyrinth known as the Dungeon beneath the city. It might be better to say that the massive city was built on top of it.

The Guild oversees everyone who goes below the surface at the core of the city. It’s not just humans, either; there are many kinds of demi-humans living in this flourishing metropolis alongside us.

That’s about all I know about Orario. Books and studying have never really been my thing. I know that much about the city because I live here.

People who make a living in the Dungeon are all called “adventurers,” like me.

I grew up in a small town not far from here. Looking back, I was a really sheltered kid. My grandfather brought me up, but he died about a year ago. There was nothing left for me there, so I packed up what money was left and moved to the city.

I don’t think I have to say it at this point, but I came to Orario to meet girls in the Dungeon.

“—Real men try to make a harem!”

How many times did Gramps say that? I can still remember his smile, so full of life.

Gramps read tales of adventure to me for as long as I can remember. I loved the heroes of those stories. They slew the monsters, saved people from certain death, rescued the princess from anything, and looked awesome while doing it. Every time I heard Gramps tell me those stories, I saw myself as the hero. My head was filled with dreams of being one of them.

Gramps let me in on the best part about being the hero.

“The hero’s greatest taste of glory is not from slaying the monsters; it’s meeting the girls.”

It didn’t take long for visions of cute girls by my side after a dangerous adventure to saturate my brain. Gramps taught me about being “a man’s man.” I was well on my way.

As I got older, part of me accepted the fact that I would never become the hero from the tales, but on the other hand, Gramps built me up so much that the girls became my new goal.

The book that he swore by, his bible if you will, was Dungeon Oratoria. It’s filled with stories about various heroes and their adventures. I think I bought into his enthusiasm.

If I can be in a place where heroes’ stories are made… If I can get to Orario… If I can get into the Dungeon…

If I could just do that, then the girl of my dreams would show up any day.

Gramps passed on, but the determination he left behind pushed me out the door, all the way to Orario and the Dungeon.

I admit that I was winging it when I first got here. But now, after a brush with death, I feel really stupid for going into the Dungeon just for the ladies. I’m probably the only idiot who went in like that. Well, I’m pretty sure that the adventurers seeking money and fame are basically the same as me, maybe.

Today made me realize just living is hard.

I will never take the Dungeon lightly again.

But now I have completely different reasons for going into the Dungeon—including Ms. Wallenstein.

I slip into the multiracial crowd on Main Street.

Dwarves, gnomes, animal people, prums… Some look like normal townsfolk, and some look a lot more dangerous. A human country boy like me is so out of place here. Even in this crowd, everything looks so new and interesting. The constant noise of the city is so invigorating, even though others complain it’s too loud. I’ll never get tired of this city!

I work my way through the crowd, catching a few glimpses of some really cute and dignified elves along the way.

There’s the street I’m looking for. I make my way out of the crowd, off of Main Street, and into a smaller back road. There are so many twists and turns back here I’m surprised I don’t get lost more often.

As the noise of Main Street fades, I arrive at a dead end.

“……”

I crane my neck back to look up at an old, rundown church in this cul-de-sac. I don’t think anyone has been here in years.

To think, this two-story building was built to be a place to worship the gods. Now it’s not much more than ruin. There are pieces of walls missing. Well, actually, they’re in piles on the ground where they fell. There’s a hint of sadness about this place, left over from the people who stopped coming here who knows how many years ago.

A statue of a goddess smiles down on me from above the main door of the church. She’s seen better days. Half of her face is missing, and chunks of rock from her body are gone. I’ve seen more complete Swiss cheese.

“Yo!”

There really was no need to check, but I wanted to make sure I was alone before going into the church. There are no doors in the main entrance, not much for security. Then again, the inside isn’t much better than the outside.

In fact, the inside looks half destroyed. As I step inside, my foot lands on a weed growing out of the broken tile floor. Pieces of the ceiling are either gone or about to fall. On the bright side, this lets in a bit of sunlight. The sunbeams light up what’s left of an altar at the back of the church.

I weave through the wreckage on my usual path, heading toward a small room behind the altar. It was once a storage room and is still lined with empty shelves. But the shelf at the very back corner is actually a door to a stairwell. I pull it back and climb down.

The stairway isn’t that long, and there’s still some light sneaking in from outside. I had no trouble opening the door.

“Goddess! I’m home!”

As my voice echoes off the basement walls, the smell of home wafts into my nose. The room is small, but big enough to live in comfortably.

The person I called is sprawled out on a purple sofa just inside the door. She looks up from her book and jumps to her feet.

Just by looking at her, you would probably think she was a young girl about to hit puberty. Being that she is just a little bit shorter than me, many people would mistake us for brother and sister only a year or so apart.

Her feet thump quickly on the floor as she runs up to me with a big smile on her kiddie face.

“Hey, hey, welcome back! Aren’t you a bit early?”

“Well, I almost died in the Dungeon today…”

“What, what? You okay? It’d be a real shock to me if you died. I’d be lonely and possibly really sad, too.”

Her tiny hands dance up and down my body, looking for injuries.

I can’t help but blush a little. Her kind tone and words always cheer me up.

“Don’t worry. I won’t leave my goddess high and dry.”

“Oh? I’m glad you’ve made up your mind because I need a lot of water.”

“That’s an interesting way to put it…”

Both of us crack smiles and walk into the back of the room.

The space we share has one square part and one long part; it’s the shape of a P underground. The entrance is in the square, the door in the middle of the front wall, and two sofas face each other against the other two opposite walls. We sit down on our own sofas.

The girl sitting across from me is, without a doubt, pretty. Her shiny jet-black hair falls down on the sides of her head to cover her ears but is also long enough to be tied into two extensive ponytails that reach down to her waist. Two ribbons with silver bells hold them together. Her round face and cheeks make her look very young, which is why I can’t believe how much her boobs push up her clothes. I try not to look, honest! It’s hard not to…

Add in her clear blue, orb-like eyes, and she has an aura like a fairy-tale character come to life.

Although by usual standards she would become an absolute bombshell in a few years, I don’t think her appearance will ever change that much.

She is, after all, a goddess. I call her that for a reason.

She’s different from us humans, demi-humans, or the monsters that appear in the Dungeon. She came from another plane, Deusdia. She won’t age or change much at all like we do. Far above humans, she’s even more influential than any of the heroes I idolized back in the day.

“I bet you didn’t get much money at all today, did you?”

“No, not as much as usual. How about you, Goddess?”

“Hee-hee! Take a look at this! Ta-da!”

“Th-those are?!”

“Yep! I did so well at the shop today that I got these potato snacks for

free! Party night!! Bell, I won’t let you sleep tonight, at all.”

“Wow! Great job, Goddess!”

This influential goddess is working part-time at a human-owned shop in Orario. If she didn’t, of course, we wouldn’t be able to survive.

A long time ago, gods and goddesses came down to our world. They call it Gekai, or “lower world.” There are many myths and legends that explain the why and how, but according to the goddess I know, the gods were just bored up there.

They were in their upper world, Tenkai, not doing much at all for eternity. The gods had all the time in the world but nothing to do. Then they started watching us waste so much, but also make so many interesting things like culture and business. The “children”—us, basically—became the best entertainment available.

“We shall be among the children as they are, with the same abilities. They shall see us.”

They may be perfect beings, yet they have their flaws. They would have to, because they were interested enough in our world to come here.

The excitement of a new world with the children lured many gods to Gekai. They wanted to experience things like phenomena they couldn’t foresee, a desire for food, hobbies, fine arts, and the indefinable bonds of friendship like the children had every day.

They laughed, or so I’ve been told.

The gods and goddesses feel like they are playing a game and are fully enjoying it because it is impossible to predict what will happen.

It wasn’t long before gods were living in Gekai. Quite a few of them decided to live here permanently.

As for our ancestors who lived here first, they didn’t reject the gods when they arrived. Why would they? They revered the gods because they could receive blessings. To put it another way: you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. That relationship is still clearly going on today.

They live among us now. We live and work side by side, helping one another out.

These gods abandoned their separate and constrained lifestyles to live in our inconvenient world.

“A ton of people walk around the city looking like mascots. They’re cute and all, but I can never find one I’d want in my Familia. The good ones all go after the money! If only more people knew the name Hestia…”

“I’m not so sure. All the ‘blessings’ start out the same, no matter what god or goddess gave it…”

I live with the goddess Hestia. I guess gods and goddesses have names just like us.

A Familia is basically a group formed by a god. For example, Loki Familia is the group put together by the goddess Loki, and Hestia Familia by Hestia. Some people call it Team Loki or Team Hestia.

Personally, I think that being in a Familia is like being part of that god’s family.

While gods are in Gekai, they can’t use their godly powers, called Arkanam. It’s a rule that they set themselves shortly after arriving. Without Arkanam, they need our food and money to survive.

While I have heard of a few gods who like working, most gods came here to have fun. So, they rely on us “children” to make money for them while they do whatever.

A person gets a “blessing” when they join a Familia.

In exchange, they use the power from the blessing to make money.

To be frank, members of a Familia provide for their god.

But we can’t argue with the benefits of receiving a blessing. Anyone with a blessing can get strong enough to take down even the fiercest monsters.

Hestia, the goddess sitting across from me, calls it “give and take.”

“Bell, I really feel bad making you work by yourself to provide for me.”

“Hey, I’m fine. And you’re working, too, aren’t you?”

Some Familias are very large with hundreds of members, and some are very small, like ours.

In these circumstances, even the gods or goddesses themselves must find work… like Hestia. They can’t do what they love; they have to make money first.

Sure, they can do anything they want to earn money. But it makes me happy knowing that the gods living in our society have the same problems I do. I feel, I don’t know, closer to them somehow.

Well, there are some gods who turn their Familia into a monarchy with themselves at the top. They call it “Kingdom Game” or something like that.

But even that is built and managed by people. Therefore, the gods have to follow our rules. There are some who say the gods are manipulating our society by behaving this way, but the fact that a god was able to create a “kingdom” is only because a group of people wanted him to.

While the gods do watch over what we create, in the end, they have no way to give anyone an advantage over the competition.

“… I’m sorry I made you join the Familia of such a pitiful god…”

“G-Goddess…”

I watch her withdraw into the sofa. My voice sounded pathetic even to my own ears.

I met Hestia while circling Orario trying to join a Familia. I had just arrived, and I needed a blessing before I could become an adventurer.

The famous Familias always have people trying to join their already full ranks. So people with skills that would benefit the group get first priority. Country-boy newbies like me get passed over. I wasn’t just shown the door, I had it slammed in my face a few times.

I think that Hestia could see that in my eyes when we crossed paths. Sort of like I was a lost puppy, and she brought me home.

Hestia came to Gekai relatively recently and was staying with a friend, also a goddess, and her Familia before she met me. She told me that she spent all day every day doing what she loved, reading our books. Her friend eventually got angry and kicked her out. But she wasn’t heartless; Hestia’s friend found this room under the church for her.

But really, all blessings are equal. That’s a fact.

Everyone who receives a blessing starts from the same point. As for how they grow, well, that depends completely on them.

In the end, Familias are judged by the abilities of their members, just like any shop or any country. A Familia is not strong because of its god, and neither is it weak.

“It’s okay, Goddess! Our Familia just got started. Better yet, it’s on the rise! Sure, it might be difficult now, but as soon as we get past this first part, we’ll be sitting pretty! Once we get some money saved up, people will be lining up to join us!

“Bell… You are just so…!”

Shoosh. She’s on her feet. Her eyes fill with hope and happiness as she gazes at me. But everything I just said, word for word, came from Eina, not me. That hurts a bit, right in the conscience.

But my goddess is happy. That’s all that matters.

She’s the one who took me, a country boy dreaming about a harem and whatnot who almost got crushed because of it, by the hand and encouraged me. She is very important to me.

I want to help her any way I can.

That was the first promise I ever made to myself. I wanted to help her when we first met, and that’s not about to change.

“I was so lucky to meet someone like you! Now, for our future, let’s update your status!”

“Please!”

The goddess kicks her legs as she jumps up off the sofa. Her impossibly large boobs jiggle as she moves. I saw the bounce, yes, but I looked away. And now I’m smiling again, too. I really have to try harder to keep my eyes

off her chest.

Other gods called her “Loli Big Boobs,” making fun of her otherworldly bust. But what the heck does “Loli” mean?

“Alrighty, off with the shirt and into bed like usual!”

“Okay.”

I walk toward the bed as I unhook my light adventurer’s armor and pull off my undershirt. I look over my shoulder into the full-length mirror at the end of the room.

My topless, pale-skinned reflection with hair as white as Gramps’s looks back at me. What really stands out is a clump of black markings on the small of my back.

All of them were engraved into my skin by Hestia. She said it’s called “Falna,” and it’s the mark of a blessing from a god or goddess.

“Lie down, lie down.”

I do as I’m told and crawl onto the bed.

As soon as my stomach hits the sheets, the goddess jumps on top of me and uses my butt as her own personal chair.

“You said earlier that you almost died today. What happened?”

“It’s a long story, but…”

She rubs my back as I talk. Going over the same spot once, twice, many times, she relaxes my skin.

Ping… The goddess pulls out a long needle.

I look over my shoulder in time to see her prick her own finger with it. A drop of her blood falls onto my back.

The red drop literally sends waves through my body as it sinks in.

“You went into the deeper levels of the Dungeon… to meet girls? What strange fantasies are going through your head? There’s no way the ideal virgin you have in mind is going to be in such a dangerous place, now is there?”

“V-virgin??? B-but anyway, it’s not like that’s what I want! I have morals! Did you know that an elf won’t even touch someone who doesn’t meet their standards?”

“No need to get worked up. Yes, I know about the elves. But there are also groups like the Amazons. They want to have strong children so badly that women give themselves to men just because of their strength. I think you’re going to wear yourself out, that’s all.”

“… Oh.”

She looks down at me with an all-knowing glance after bringing that up. Meanwhile, she’s kneading the spot on my back where the blood had landed, working down slowly from the left. She changes the markings.

These markings on my back are my status, my Falna.

A person’s abilities rise when a god’s blood is used to write hieroglyphs on their body. Only gods have this power.

There is also a thing called “excelia.” Simply put, excelia is experience.

Of course, it isn’t something that can be seen or used by “children” in any way. But it tells what path an individual has walked up to that point. Gods can read a person’s history in excelia. They will know if by some miracle you slew a monster, for example. Excelia also fuels a person’s growth through a blessing.

Everything you have accomplished, both the quality and amount, shows up in excelia.

The gods can see what you have done, your life story. Kind of like a big sign that says, “Has completed such difficult feats as: slaying a monster, etc.” Seems like something the ancients would do, if you ask me.

Gods update the hieroglyphs on their Familia’s members’ backs to match that person’s excelia. To put it another way: level up!

Gods and goddesses use this power to make their “children” stronger.

“And anyway, Aiz Wallenstein, was it? If she really is that pretty and insanely powerful, other men won’t leave her alone. She’s bound to have a few favorites by now.”

“Do you really think so…?”

“Yep. Listen up, Bell. This is a crush; you’ll get over it. You should move

on and focus more on the girls around you. I am a hundred percent sure that there is a beautiful lady who will accept, hold, and support you in your life right now.”

Great, now I’m tearing up again. I don’t want to think about it. And she’s bashing Ms. Wallenstein. Why is she in such a bad mood? Did I step on a mine or something?

She keeps saying “someone closer to you,” but there aren’t any women other than her and Eina in my life right now. Eina is my boss. Like hell she’d be interested in me. And then the goddess… Yeah, right. We’ve known each other for two weeks! And she’s a goddess.

Goddess, life is not that easy. Eina told me that, too.

“Besides, the girl Ms. Wallensomething is in Loki Familia. You couldn’t marry her anyway.”

“……”

The final blow, right through the heart.

People almost always marry someone of the opposite gender who’s either in the same Familia or not in one at all. If two people from different Familias marry, which group do the kids belong to?

There are other reasons, too, but the important thing is that so many issues get in the way that people avoid inter-Familia relationships. Then there are the gods themselves. They may have come here for entertainment, but they take their Familias very seriously.

Also, not all of the gods are friends. If two of them are fighting, members of their Familias are instantly enemies. Members of each Familia don’t want to put their allies in danger.

Eina said it first. It would be difficult for me, the only member of Hestia Familia, to have a relationship with Ms. Wallenstein, a member of Loki Familia.

“All done! And just forget about that girl and keep your eyes open. You will find someone as long as you keep looking closer to home!”

“You’re cruel, Goddess…”

No, I’m not giving up. I can’t give up without even trying!

We just met. There’s no telling what will happen.

I get out of the bed and pull on some normal clothes while trying to rebuild my confidence. The goddess reaches for a piece of paper to write down my new status. I can’t read the hieroglyphs myself; no one can. So the gods learned a bit of our written language to help us out.

Even if I could read their hieroglyphs, they’re on my back. Who could read something written there?

“Here, your new status.”

I take the paper from her lightly outstretched hand.

Bell Cranell

Level One

Strength: I-77 → I-82 Defense: I-13 Utility: I-93 → I-96

Agility: H-148 → H-172 Magic: I-0

Magic

( )

Skills

( )

This is the Falna on my back, my status.

There are five basic abilities: strength, defense, utility, agility, and magic. Each ability has one of ten ranks—S, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I—within each level. S is the strongest.

And I is the weakest… The number next to the rank shows our exact ability level: 0 to 99 is the I range, 100 to 199 is H, and so on. 999 is the absolute maximum. It gets harder to get points as we get stronger, or so I am told.

Level is the most important statistic in a status. Every one of the basic abilities gets a major boost when the level goes up. It wouldn’t be that much

of a stretch to say a person evolves when they level up. There is a huge difference between Level One and Level Two.

Level Two is much, much stronger.

The goddess calls it ranking up.

Let’s see… My “Strength,” “Utility,” and “Agility” went up this time… Wait a sec, what’s up with my “Agility”?! I went from H-148 to H-172! Up 24 points from yesterday?!

It must be because I got chased around for who knows how long by the Minotaur.

The excelia system is pretty simple. A person gains experience when they use a basic skill. For example, to gain Defense, I would have to actually get hit by a monster in battle. But all I do is run and dodge, so my Defense almost never goes up.

Eina told me that armor and some weapons raise Defense just by equipping them, but I just run away, so what’s the point? Damn, this is embarrassing.

“Um, Goddess? When do you think I’ll be able to use magic?”

“Even I don’t know that. I hear people who can use magic have high intelligence in their excelia… You don’t read much, though, do you, Bell?”

“No…”

Magic has to be the first thing people look forward to when they get a blessing.

Before the gods came to Gekai, only a few races could use very limited magic. But now that the gods give out blessings, anyone can learn to use it as long as they’re in a Familia.

A person can use up to three different kinds of magic. But knowing only one magic is pretty common. I’ve been told that adventurers who know two kinds of magic become anchors of their team.

Magic is that important. There’s a legend that long ago, an elf used wind magic to slice and dice one hundred humans. Magic is the ultimate trump card that can turn the tables in any situation.

Who could defeat someone who can cast “Sea of Flames” with only a sword? I know I can’t.

There is only one magic slot in my status. I guess that means I can only learn one… eh?

“Goddess, there seems to be something in my Skill slot. It looks like something was erased…”

“Hmm… Oh! Some ink got on my hand, and it got smudged. It’s still open like normal, don’t worry.”

“Just my luck…”

I won’t lie; I got my hopes up a bit.

Skills are completely separate from basic abilities. When activated, they either have an effect on battle or on the user’s body itself. If the status shows improvement in ability, then skills are like a beneficial chemical reaction that tacks on something extra.

Skills may not be as flashy as magic, but they don’t cost as much to use… Though they do cost something…

I glance over my updated status one last time and look up at the clock on the wall. Then I turn to the goddess.

“Goddess, it’s already evening. Shall I get dinner ready? I know we’re going to have a potato snack party, but that won’t be enough to fill us up, right?”

“Sure, I’ll leave it to you, Bell.”

“Right-o.”

I turn from the goddess’s cute smile and go to the kitchen. I can only cook really easy stuff, but yeah. Eina told me I need to think more about money. I’ll start focusing on that. I should try to save as much as possible from now on.

I can feel the goddess staring at my back, but I have some ideas on how to rework my contract. Maybe I can get more money that way!

Hestia gave Bell a send-off to the kitchen as if she were seeing him off to war. Once he was there, she let out a quiet but heavy sigh.

She picked up his status sheet from the bed and compared it to the one written on his back.

Children change so fast… Completely different from us.

Even the slightest thing could change them and spread quickly.

It wasn’t desire or culture that defined the people of Gekai. Change did.

I hate this! He changed because of her, and it isn’t fair! I won’t accept it!

She held her head between her hands, scratching back and forth.

Damn it!

She took another look at Bell’s back.

Specifically, she looked at his Skill slot.

Bell Cranell

Level One

Strength: I-77 → I-82 Defense: I-13 Utility: I-93 → I-96

Agility H-148 → H-172 Magic: I-0

Magic

( )

Skills

Realis Phrase

Rapid Growth

Continued desire results in continued growth

Stronger desire results in stronger growth

It was she who had found promising excelia and written that skill into him with her own hands. She regretted it more than anything.