That wasn't simply the smile of a god. It was the smile of the God of Deception, as dangerous as a snake's.
"Interesting. It's been a long time since I met a brat as interesting as you! I'm taking you!"
As soon as the goddess said it, the peerlessly beautiful Elf Royalty instinctively glanced at Noah. She gritted her teeth, but still voiced her objection.
"Wait, Loki! Shouldn't you discuss this with Finn and the others first? Isn't this a little too hasty?"
It was hardly big news in Orario for gods to cause trouble for their familias on a whim, leaving them to clean up the mess and suffer public humiliation, or work themselves to the bone to pay off debts.
Loki was certainly capricious, but when it came to familia affairs, she was quite reasonable and made a point of listening to the opinions of her familia's three leaders.
This was especially true when it came to taking in new members. For the Loki Familia, which often set out on expeditions and ventured into the deepest reaches of the Dungeon, the reliability of their companions was crucial.
In the dangerous depths, where the slightest mistake could wipe out the entire familia, a problem with any member—whether a wounded vanguard, a mistake by the support team, or a falling-out with a teammate—could lead to devastating casualties.
So before accepting a newcomer, Loki always had Captain Finn assess them first.
Why was she acting differently this time...?
"Huh?! We don't have time for that, Alf! What if this kid runs off while we're waiting for Finn to get back?"
Like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum in the street for a snack, Loki once again displayed the capriciousness of Orario's gods. She fixed her gaze on Noah.
"Hey, kid! When you join a familia, you become our family. You know what that means, right? No matter what happens, you're never allowed to even think about betraying or abandoning your family. Otherwise, even if I have to scour the entire Lower World and get sent back to Heaven, I'll still kill you! Then, once I'm back in Heaven, I'll snatch your soul and torture it! Got that?"
Noah couldn't help wondering: if he left this world again, would Loki still be able to find him?
When Loki saw Noah lowering his head in thought, she looked shocked, as if to say, 'You're actually considering something like that?'
"Hey, kid! What are you hesitating about?!"
"Mm, I'm thinking about whether I can stick to what you said and never betray my family, no matter what happens. But after thinking it over, I'm afraid that might be difficult."
"Huh?!"
Loki wasn't the only one who cried out. Riveria and Ais looked astonished, too.
"At most, I can promise not to betray them while I'm alive. But what happens after I die probably won't be up to me."
Noah was long past the age when he thought every difficulty in the world could be solved with a sword. The human heart was harder to overcome than any Demon King.
Saving someone was far harder than killing them.
At the silver-haired boy's answer, the three women—a goddess, an elf, and a human—fell silent in unison. Then they all wore indescribably aggrieved expressions.
"Kid, I didn't take you for the type to toy with women's feelings! If you ever make a move on any of the other girls in the familia, I'll never forgive you!"
"Huh?"
Noah had been called a womanizer, and this time he truly looked confused and surprised.
He hadn't just been a womanizer—Noah had never even held a woman's hand outside of battle.
But Loki had no intention of explaining. She waved a hand and headed deeper down the corridor.
"Come with me!"
This time, Riveria didn't stop her. She just folded her arms and glared at him crossly, as if he really had done something terrible.
Ais, standing beside her, wore a similar expression, only her cheeks were puffed up and a little red.
Thoroughly confused, Noah could only hurry after Loki as she led him deeper into Twilight Manor.
Twilight Manor was made up of numerous towers linked by suspended walkways, which had earned it the alternate name of the Long Mansion.
At the very center, surrounded by the other towers and rising higher than all of them, stood the tallest tower. On its top floor was the Divine Chamber, where the goddess Loki lived.
After climbing the spiral staircase that wound through the entire tower, Noah followed Loki to the top floor and entered a room.
The room was spacious, but crammed with all kinds of odds and ends. A jumble of liquor bottles was piled by the door, and a half-finished drink sat on the table.
Loki didn't seem to care in the slightest that someone was looking around her room. After drawing the curtains over the bedroom's windows, she waved Noah over.
"Hee-hee-hee, take off your shirt and lie down on the bed."
Noah wasn't used to being touched. More accurately, he refused to let people make physical contact with him.
You never knew when or how an enemy might poison you.
Still, after taking a deep breath and overcoming his unease, Noah said nothing. He set aside the long sword he carried, then took off his jacket, which already had plenty of holes in it.
Unlike his slender appearance when dressed, Noah's body was covered in firm, well-defined muscles beneath his fair skin.
But his skin was covered in scars, giving him a somewhat frightening appearance.
Once Noah turned over and lay on his stomach, Loki's gaze swept across his back.
Compared to his scar-covered chest, the skin on Noah's back was as smooth as a woman's.
That only made a few of the wounds stand out all the more.
Having seen the backs of countless adventurers, Loki could tell at a glance that these wounds had been inflicted by short, narrow weapons such as daggers, short swords, and needles.
In short, he'd been attacked from behind...
This guy...
But after a glance, Loki's vermilion eyes narrowed into crescent moons again. She jumped onto Noah's back and slapped it loudly.
"Hoho, you looked so skinny with your clothes on. I didn't expect you to have such a nice build! To be honest, you're so good-looking that I wondered if you were all skin and bones!"
Noah didn't know how to answer, so he simply closed his eyes and waited in silence.
"Ah, the Lower World, full of mystery and the unknown! To think it could give rise to someone like you! You'd better not disappoint me!"
Without another word, Loki pricked her finger with a needle, smeared her divine blood across Noah's back, and deftly inscribed the divine script and ritual.
After a flash of light, Loki looked at the sacred letters recorded on Noah's back. Her narrowed eyes flew open, and she let out an excited, animal-like laugh.
"Hohoho! I've hit the jackpot!"
Huh? Had I really opened my eyes too many times today?
Chapter 19: Magic and Skills
The Divine Grace was, fundamentally, a catalyst—or perhaps a key.
In essence, all gods' Divine Graces were the same. They merely forced open the body's limits, spurred its infinite potential, and displayed its values in a systematized form.
That was why skills and magic awakened with distinct racial characteristics.
For example, elven skills and magic tended to enhance magical power, while beastfolk abilities enhanced speed and agility, and dwarven ones enhanced strength and defense.
But even after a thousand years of verification and analysis, the gods still couldn't fully understand the potential within the Lower World's inhabitants.
It was a unique, one-of-a-kind possibility, closely tied to an individual's aptitude, experiences, interests, and will, and shaped by the landscape of their heart and their deepest wishes.
That was what people called unique magic or a rare skill.
Though it wasn't an absolute rule, most adventurers who awakened special magic or rare skills were believed to possess the makings of heroes and the potential to reach the realm of heroes.
Most familias treated such adventurers as promising newcomers and nurtured them accordingly.
The various factions throughout the city also paid close attention to them.
"But two magic spells and three rare skills right off the bat? Even I've never seen that before!"
After transcribing the values of Noah's Divine Grace onto paper in the common language, Loki leapt off the bed. She studied it carefully, then handed it to Noah.
"Kid! You didn't disappoint me!"
After getting dressed, Noah took the paper.
He realized that, in the heart that should have been as calm as still water by now, a hint of excitement and nervousness had surfaced.
This must be the unknown, right? It would always inspire curiosity and excitement!
Noah Cipher
Lv. 1
Strength: I-0
Endurance: I-0
Dexterity: I-0
Agility: I-0
Magic: I-O
Development Abilities:
Magic:
[Thunder Decree]
· Light, thunder, and sound attributes
· Additional magic; activated at will; grows autonomously
· Chant—"Resound! (Thunder)"
[Elegy of Light]
· ???
· Devour despair, gather darkness, make oneself the fuel, and forge the light
· Chant—
At the dawn of awakening, sincerity becomes a sin
Offer up innocence, burn away nobility
Play a melody of blood, sing a nursery rhyme of death
The gods sing as one, all things rejoice; with a voice that resounds to the ends of the heavens, I await my own destruction
Gather the darkness, embrace the fate of the primordial flame, and wield death with a loving heart
Forge the future, and become the ember of dawn known to no one
Skills:
[Fall of the Morning Star]
· Defy fate, resist death, strike back against despair, surpass one's limits, never surrender, yearn for the boundless sky, and pursue heights without end
· When injured, all attributes except life continuously increase according to the duration and intensity of battle, the severity of the injuries, one's unyielding fighting spirit, and the gap between oneself and one's opponent
· The chance of death is reduced when sustaining a fatal injury
[Ode to Spring]
· Immortal achievements will shine through the ages; the gratitude of all things in the world will endure until the end of eternity
· Charisma increased
· Luck adjustment
[Movement of Truth]
· Endless unknowns, endless truths, endless pursuit; the heart of exploration will never fade
· Magic creation, matter reconstruction,
· Mental strength increased
After reading the descriptions of the magic and skills, Noah sat on the bed and remained silent for a long time.
Loki walked over to the table, poured herself a drink, and downed it in one gulp. Then she let out a rough sigh like a dwarf.
"Hey, some god once said that the vaguer the description of a skill, the greater its potential. But even I don't really understand yours... Still, judging from your expression, you probably have some idea what it means, right?"
Before you continue