A God Who Struck Gold

"Name?"

"Kashu Animusphere."

"Race?"

"Human."

"What brings you to Orario?"

"Hmm... just trying to make a living."

Hearing the rather casual answer, Hashana, the senior adventurer in charge of recording information, set down his pen and paper and looked the boy over.

Silver hair, silver eyes, and an air so clean it hardly suited someone who had traveled through dust and hardship. The black-and-white uniform he wore was an odd style Hashana had never seen before.

This kid doesn't look very strong.

Hashana secretly shook his head. A trace of regret flickered through his eyes, but he still offered the advice of someone with experience.

"If you want to make a living in Orario, you need some kind of skill. Compared to other races, we humans are far too ordinary. Good luck."

"I see. Thank you for the advice."

Kashu readily accepted the goodwill, nodded in thanks, and headed deeper through the city gates.

The moment he stepped into the city, it was as though he had passed through an invisible barrier. A deafening tide of noise crashed over him.

The clamor battered Kashu's eardrums, laying bare all the prosperity and vitality of this Dungeon City before his eyes.

"Fresh fruit! Fresh fruit that even picky elves can't stop praising!"

"Don't miss out! Clothes designed especially for our beastman friends—every style available, sturdy and durable!"

"Ladies of the Amazons, we've just stocked a new batch of fine equipment forged by dwarf masters! Care to take a look?"

"Hot, delicious fried potato balls! The best snack on North Street! Only thirty Valis a serving!"

Titles that had once existed only in stories and fantasies now rang vividly in his ears.

Curiosity shone in Kashu's eyes as he eagerly took in the strange and fantastical sights around him.

To him, every corner of this place was filled with unprecedented novelty.

"Fouu~"

A soft but dissatisfied whine came from Kashu's collar. Startled, he quickly lowered his head and gently soothed the restless little creature with his fingertips.

"Shh! Bear with it a little longer. We don't know anything about this place. It'll be bad if people mistake you for a rare Demonic Beast."

"Fou?"

Kashu deftly threaded his way through the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd while lowering his voice to explain to the creature in his collar.

"If we want to quickly understand what's going on, a bookstore is a good choice. The information there should be comprehensive and reliable. Of course, places like taverns, where all sorts gather, can also provide plenty of rumors."

"Personally, I'd rather go to a bookstore."

"Fouu!"

"You're hungry? But we don't have a single coin on us right now."

"Fou..."

The little creature's voice immediately wilted, full of disappointment.

Kashu rubbed his equally empty stomach and sighed helplessly.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out more than a dozen strange stones that glimmered with a deep blue light, clicking his tongue.

"No idea whether these things can be traded for money. Might as well give it a try somewhere."

The Hostess of Fertility.

Slightly drunk and unsteady on her feet, the red-haired goddess Loki wobbled as she climbed up from the ground.

She irritably dusted herself off, still indignantly complaining about the violence she had just suffered.

"Mia's getting more and more bad-tempered. I was only trying to get along with those young, sweet waitresses! What did I do wrong?!"

"I wonder how far Ais and the others have gotten on their expedition. Damn it! I'm so bored! Why can't I find anything fun lately?!"

"Fouu!"

"Fouu?"

Repeating the strange cry she had never heard before, Loki craned her neck with bleary eyes and looked toward the quiet alley beside the tavern.

The first thing she saw was a peculiar creature crouching on the ground.

Its fur was snow-white, so pure that not a speck of dirt marred it. It looked both like a fox dog and a squirrel.

In stark contrast to that pure little beast were three adventurers lying on the ground, twitching with bruised and swollen faces, and—

Kashu, the silver-haired boy standing before them and leisurely rolling his wrists.

"Hey, stop playing dead on the ground. I'm not done asking questions."

"Ugh... Private fights between Familias... are severely punished by the Guild... Aren't you... afraid of getting yourself into trouble?"

"The ones who attacked first sure have some nerve saying that."

Kashu sneered, his voice carrying a hint of mockery.

"You needn't worry. I haven't joined a Familia yet."

As a sharp-nosed god who loved trouble and feared the world being too peaceful, Loki was instantly intrigued by the unexpected scene before her.

Besides, she vaguely recognized the three unlucky fellows on the ground.

They had also been drinking and bragging at The Hostess of Fertility earlier, apparently celebrating their captain finally reaching LV2.

Then they got drunk, lost control of themselves, and insisted on causing trouble. Before Loki could do anything, the burly female tavern owner had thrown them out.

An LV2 leading two LV1s got effortlessly beaten by a brat who hasn't even joined a Familia?

Loki's narrow eyes curved into crescents, inscrutable divine intent flickering deep within them.

Swinging her crimson ponytail, she sauntered into the alley with steps that looked casual but were actually precise.

"Kid, I think very highly of you. Want to join my Familia?"

Kashu had actually noticed the red-haired woman watching them long ago.

He turned his head and studied the goddess, who gave off an utterly unserious and unreliable air from head to toe, then laid out his condition bluntly.

"I don't like being bound by rules. Do you dare take in a member like that?"

At his words, most of Loki's drunken haze vanished at once. Then a wicked grin spread across her face.

"Interesting. Who do you think I am? I, Loki, have no use for those sticklers who follow every rule!"

Loki?

Kashu was secretly startled as he calmly examined the goddess before him, who might have an unremarkable figure but was undeniably female.

She's actually a woman?

Twilight Manor, the headquarters of the Loki Familia.

With the main force deep in the Dungeon on an expedition, the vast manor was quiet and deserted, with only a few figures moving about.

Inside the messy living room, Loki carelessly tossed the things piled on a chair aside and beckoned Kashu and Fou to follow her in.

"So, kid, you only arrived in Orario today? Before this, you knew nothing about Familias or the Gods' Blessing?"

Kashu, who was feeding Fou biscuits, nodded and shook his head.

"I did just arrive, but I heard a few rumors along the way."

From what Kashu understood, Familias were growth-oriented factions built around gods, engaging in trade, farming, exploration, and other activities.

The Gods' Blessing, meanwhile, was power bestowed by a god. With it, people could break through their limits and continuously grow stronger.

Kashu took off his shirt, lay facedown over the cold back of a chair, and turned his head toward Loki to ask the question that concerned him most.

"Loki, how much stronger will I become after receiving a blessing?"

"Kid, don't tell me you think my blessing is some kind of powerful buff that takes effect immediately?"

"Isn't it?"

Hearing Kashu's question, Loki shook her head as if it were nothing unusual and casually explained.

"Completely wrong. A blessing is more like a catalyst we carve into our children's bodies."

Kashu's face was full of confusion. "A catalyst?"

Loki picked up a thin needle from the table and pricked her finger as she continued.

"All gods agree that children of the Lower World possess limitless potential. A blessing guides that potential out and accelerates their growth."

As she spoke, Loki let a drop of divine blood fall onto Kashu's back and began inscribing the blessing's pattern.

"With a god's blood as the medium, the potential within your body manifests in the form of sacred text."

"It represents the life you have lived so far, and it also reflects the deepest wishes in your heart."

Kashu no longer had the leisure to care about the cool sensation on his back. Loki's explanation of the blessing had left him briefly dazed.

His thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to the white fortress blanketed in ice and snow all year round, isolated from the rest of the world—Chaldea.

Life... wishes... potential?

BOOM!!!

A violent storm of magical power, nearly out of control, erupted around Kashu without warning.

The fierce blast of air instantly swept through the entire room. Having just finished inscribing the blessing, Loki was caught off guard and sent rolling across the floor, crashing straight into the conference table and startling Fou into fluffing up its fur.

The evil goddess had no time to care about the pain. Her eyes were locked tightly on the sacred text that had just formed on Kashu's back, radiating an unprecedented light.

Shock, disbelief, wild delight...

Countless emotions flashed across her face before finally becoming an unrestrained, manic grin.

"To think something like this could happen?"

"This time... I really struck gold!"