Blessing

"What's wrong?"

Falan looked at the god named Soma, then at his own rather cheaply acquired handler.

Both wore pensive expressions, leaving Falan thoroughly confused.

"Uh, it's nothing. I'm just surprised you managed to withstand the effects of the Divine Wine."

Eina smiled awkwardly. "After all, Lord Soma's Divine Wine is quite famous in Orario."

"You should know that decades ago, none of the high-ranking adventurers in the Soma Familia could withstand the Divine Wine's effects! Otherwise, the Soma Familia wouldn't have declined to its current state." The Gloomy Youth glanced at her.

The elven lady immediately fell silent. Surprise was one thing, but speaking so disparagingly in front of the person involved—a god, no less—was indeed rather rude. Only after observing Soma's reaction did Eina let out a breath.

Although Eina was an official employee of the Adventurer Guild, gods held a far higher status than adventurers in this world. Even when gods and adventurers got along well, that fact could not be denied.

Soma spoke calmly. "Though it was indeed surprising that you passed my test, congratulations. From now on, you are a member of my Soma Familia." After speaking, Soma quietly remained where he was.

He leisurely picked up the tea and snacks Eina had prepared, sampling them one after another before looking at Falan again, as though waiting for something.

Falan was immediately full of questions. Soma's thoughts seemed simple enough, but what exactly was he waiting for? Surely he wasn't waiting to see the Divine Wine's effects on him?

The elven lady coughed several times. "Ahem, ahem. Lord Soma, my apologies. I forgot to tell little brother Falan."

"Anyone who becomes an adventurer must first receive a Blessing from a god. Little brother Falan, please take off your upper clothes, turn around, and show your back to Lord Soma. That will make it easier for Lord Soma to grant you a Blessing."

A Blessing? Falan was somewhat puzzled. But as a newcomer and a prospective adventurer, he naturally knew little about such matters. He could only follow Eina's instructions, remove his upper clothes, walk over beside Soma, and turn around.

Though the god appeared gloomy on the surface, his tone was gentle. "Pull over a chair and sit down. Granting a Blessing takes some time. If you keep standing, your legs will get sore."

"Got it." Though he still did not really understand what a Blessing was, Falan quickly pulled over a chair, set it sideways, and exposed his back to Soma once more.

When he felt a finger touch his back, he instinctively closed his eyes.

A surge of energy seemed to flow into his body. No, perhaps this was Soma's power.

He finally understood why it was called a Blessing. This was the power gods bestowed upon their children. He should have realized it earlier—if not for the power of gods, how could ordinary people differ so greatly from adventurers?

After sensing something like a piece of cloth being pressed against his back, Falan slowly came back to himself.

He turned his head, wanting to understand what this so-called Blessing actually was.

However—

Soma clearly lacked the patience to explain, casually tossing him a sheet of paper.

"This is your status. Take a look yourself."

[Name]: Falan

[Level]: lv.1

[Abilities]

Strength: i0

Endurance: i0

Dexterity: i0

Agility: i0

Magic: i0

[Development Abilities]:

[Magic]: []

"May I ask about these ability values?"

Falan looked at the god leisurely eating snacks, then turned toward the elven lady.

He hurried over to Eina's side and asked in a low voice.

Although, based on their interactions so far, he had gained a preliminary understanding of his god—

Soma, that was—

the difference in status still made him seek advice from his handler first,

namely Eina, his "advisor" at the Adventurer Guild.

"Well, can't you tell just by looking?"

"Lv.1 is the level everyone starts at after becoming an adventurer, and the five attributes all begin at i0."

"i: 0–99, h: 100–199... and so on... s: 900–999. I've heard some people can even reach ss: 1000~"

"The most basic requirement for leveling up is for one of the five attributes to reach D. Then you can choose a great feat and level up."

"A great feat is an achievement grand enough to be passed down and known by others, such as challenging a powerful opponent or slaying a powerful mutant."

"Development Abilities can only be chosen after you level up. Also, this is quite unexpected—you possess a talent for magic."

"You already have a magic at lv.1. It isn't displayed here, probably because Lord Soma considered me an outsider. Once you return to the Familia with Lord Soma, Lord Soma will tell you about it himself!"

"In that case, thank you. And thank you as well, Lord Soma."

The god quietly finished the tea snack in his hand, then nodded in acknowledgment.

"So what comes next?" Falan asked in confusion. This was his first time becoming an adventurer—and the only time in his life—so he had no idea what he was supposed to do after joining a Familia and receiving an updated Blessing.

"First, come back to the Soma Familia with me. Then we'll enter the Dungeon."

"..." Falan nodded in understanding. As a newcomer, he truly needed to learn where his Familia's base was first. As for entering the Dungeon afterward, that was not much of a problem. After all, how many adventurers in Orario had never entered the Dungeon?

They soon left the Adventurer Guild and followed Lord Soma to a building.

Falan was immediately dumbfounded, because the building before him was simply far too old and run-down.

Just from the outside, it was impossible to tell how many years it had stood there.

"Um... Lord Soma, did we come to the wrong place?" No matter how he looked at it, this seemed like a haunted house that had fallen into disrepair.

"No, this is the place. Ever since I stopped managing things, this headquarters has rarely been repaired."

Following Soma's steps, Falan began to understand why the Soma Familia had declined.

The current Soma Familia was simply a large group of drunkards, slaves to the Divine Wine called "Soma."

It could be said that although they served Soma, apart from Falan, the newcomer—

what they served was the Divine Wine bearing the same name, not Soma himself.