Meeting the Goddess

Zhang Ruofeng almost toppled backward and landed on the ground. He reflexively hopped back several times, his face flushing. But then a deep, bone-rending pain seized his heart, and his vision went black. He nearly lost his balance. Zhang Ruofeng knew this feeling well. Whenever he got a little closer to a girl, or felt even the slightest flutter of attraction, his heart would hurt as if it were about to explode.

"You... have such a deep wound in your heart?" The goddess frowned.

"What?" Zhang Ruofeng hadn't heard what she said. "And, what's your Familia?"

"Right. Just as you thought, I want you to sign a contract with me and join my Familia. I'll give you powers ordinary people could never possess, along with limitless potential for growth. You might even become one of the strongest people in this world, fulfill the long-held wish of generations of adventurers, and perhaps even find a way home." The goddess spoke calmly, though her eyes seemed to hold a trace of loneliness.

"Did something happen to your Familia?" Zhang Ruofeng asked as carefully as he could.

"Oh, you're quite observant." The goddess gave a lonely smile. "Let me properly introduce myself. I'm Flora, the Goddess of Flowers."

"Hello, Goddess. I'm Zhang Ruofeng." Zhang Ruofeng straightened up and answered solemnly.

"Pfft, there's no need to be so nervous. Gods are quite common in this world." Seeing how serious Zhang Ruofeng was, the goddess laughed, and the faint sadness lingering in the air vanished.

"I hope you'll join my Familia. It has no members right now, but I still hope you'll come." The goddess lowered her gaze to the flowers in her hands. "You've only just arrived in Orario, so you might not know that I have another nickname: the 'Goddess of Misfortune.'"

"Goddess of Misfortune?" Zhang Ruofeng frowned. Surely no one would normally dare give a goddess a nickname, especially one so inauspicious.

"That's right. I got that nickname because of my previous Familia. I had six children in all." Sadness welled in the goddess's eyes again. "But for some reason, they all died in the Dungeon at the crucial point between reaching Level 1 and advancing to the next level. Plenty of adventurers have died trying to get past that barrier, but in the seven years my Familia existed, not a single one of them managed to advance. And not one stayed by my side. They all passed away."

"..." Looking at the beautiful goddess wearing such a sorrowful expression, Zhang Ruofeng didn't know what to say. It was a heavy subject, and Zhang Ruofeng wasn't a very emotional person. Most of his friends thought he felt three times less than an average person. But sometimes, his emotions would suddenly erupt like fireworks. The few times he'd gotten into fights like a madman, it had always been when he'd been pushed to the point where he refused to take another step back.

"But it's all right. It's been a long time since anyone joined my Familia. It's fine if you don't want to." Flora gave a lonely smile. "You came from another world. The gods love the unknown, so I doubt any of them would refuse to let you join their Familia."

"Hah! What do I have to be afraid of?" Zhang Ruofeng suddenly brightened. "I was supposed to be dead already. Am I really afraid of dying one more time? Besides, I don't believe you'd cause me to die!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Ruofeng fell quiet and muttered under his breath. (Damn it. My high school personality's coming out again.)

"Ha ha ha ha! You really are an interesting person." Tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes, the goddess giggled. For a moment, Zhang Ruofeng was mesmerized. A young, somewhat familiar face seemed to flash before his eyes—the shy smile Xin Mu had given him when they first met. Then the pain in his heart spread once more.

"Th-then, what should I do?" Zhang Ruofeng snapped back into his usual goofball act and asked nervously.

"Then I'll ask you once more, seriously. Zhang Ruofeng, are you willing to join my Familia, the Familia of Flora, Goddess of Flowers, and become an adventurer?" the goddess asked solemnly.

"I'm willing." Zhang Ruofeng stood straight and answered with equal seriousness.

"Good. Close your eyes," the goddess said, stepping closer. Zhang Ruofeng obediently shut his eyes. "From this moment on, you, Zhang Ruofeng, will become a member of my Familia. Now, I'll enter into a contract with you."

Zhang Ruofeng felt a tickle in his nose as the same delicate fragrance he'd smelled earlier drifted into it again. He was just wondering why the goddess was standing so close when something soft touched his forehead. Along with the sweet scent, that sensation made him hop backward twice at once, putting three paces between himself and the goddess. Zhang Ruofeng felt as if his heart were about to leap out of his chest. He didn't even need to touch his face to know it was burning. When he looked closely at the goddess, he saw joy, anticipation, shyness, and playfulness all mingled on her face. Her cheeks were tinged with red, and her graceful figure was poised on the tips of her feet. Zhang Ruofeng could barely get a word out.

"Y-you..." Zhang Ruofeng pressed a hand to his forehead, his tongue suddenly tied in knots.

"Don't be so nervous. You're making me shy, too." Flora lowered her head and tugged at the hem of her clothes. "That's how the contract is made. The method varies from person to person, but this is the one I chose."

After hearing that, Zhang Ruofeng calmed down. His somewhat detached nature helped him regain his composure quickly.

"Then I look forward to getting along with you, Zhang Ruofeng." The goddess gazed at him gently. Zhang Ruofeng nodded, feeling a little happy. Then a searing pain flared across his back. Startled, he reached back to grab it. When that didn't help, he pulled off his shirt.

"It's fine, it's fine," the goddess said with a smile. "My blood has entered your body, and your status inscription is starting to appear." As she spoke, she moved behind Zhang Ruofeng and examined the inscription written in divine script. She gently ran a hand over it, then said happily, "Everything looks fine. All your base attributes are I0. Oh? There seems to be a pretty girl behind the house, dressed in a style similar to yours, watching us."

"What?!" Zhang Ruofeng turned around and met the eyes of the girl who'd been peeking at them. He panicked in an instant. "Xin Mu, wh-why...?"

Xin Mu awkwardly stepped out from behind the house where she'd been hiding. She looked at Zhang Ruofeng, then at the goddess, seeming a little conflicted.

"What are you doing here?!" Zhang Ruofeng's face was full of shock. "Are you all right? You're not hurt, are you?"

Xin Mu looked at Zhang Ruofeng's bare upper body, his evenly toned, shapely muscles not especially bulky, and blushed a little. Then she saw him approach, worried for her. The concern on his face made him seem so gentle that she could no longer hold back the fear she'd felt since arriving in this unfamiliar world. Forgetting how cold she usually was toward everyone, she threw herself into Zhang Ruofeng's arms and began to sob. The sudden turn of events left Zhang Ruofeng flustered, but he quickly recovered. He gently stroked Xin Mu's long hair and said softly, "It's all right. I'm here. Don't be afraid."