Hestia seemed to come back to life upon hearing Yuri's words.
"If... if you think so, then please join my Familia!"
Hestia's expression turned serious. She stretched out a finger in front of Yuri.
"Although a Familia's main purpose depends on its god, some gods create Familias because they enjoy working together."
"For those gods, the members of their Familia are companions!"
The more she spoke, the more her eyes sparkled.
Little by little, she began pausing between her sentences as she looked at Yuri.
This made the young man smile with satisfaction.
"So... will you join my Familia?"
Hestia looked at Yuri, her eyes gleaming with hope.
"Of course."
This time, Ryuu said nothing, simply accepting Yuri's decision.
"However, there's one thing I want to make clear."
Before Hestia could celebrate, Yuri continued:
"I want the freedom to make all the decisions."
"Simply put, I'll be the head of the Familia, and you'll be something like the mother."
"Can you accept that?"
"Of course! I don't have a problem with that!" Hestia agreed without hesitation.
After all, she was essentially a lazy goddess. With Yuri as the leader, she was more than happy.
In fact, he would be the father, and she would be the mother...
Hestia looked at Yuri once again and felt as if nothing was missing.
"That's great, Hestia. You finally found someone willing to join your Familia. Now go on and bestow him the Falna. There's a room you can use," Hephaestus said.
It was clear what Hephaestus's true intention was—she just wanted Hestia out of her house as soon as possible.
With a bright smile, Hestia grabbed Yuri's arm and dragged him into the room.
Hestia pricked her finger with a needle and let a drop of blood fall onto Yuri's back.
In that moment, Yuri felt a new energy entering his body.
Hestia quickly completed the entire process and could now read Yuri's status.
All she had to do now was write it down on paper.
Basic stats include: Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, and Magic. Each is rated from 0 to 999.
0–99 is I,
100–199 is H,
200–299 is G,
300–399 is F,
400–499 is E,
500–599 is D,
600–699 is C,
700–799 is B,
800–899 is A,
and 900–999 is S.
However, it's extremely difficult for anyone to fully max out their stats, as each individual has unique strengths and weaknesses. For example, an elven mage may reach S rank in Magic, but due to their difficulty improving Strength or Endurance, they might never develop those significantly.
Regardless of one's potential, it's still a long and grueling task to reach maximum stats. When adventurers level up, their final stats usually remain around C or D rank, with B being the best most can hope for. Almost no one reaches S rank—doing so is an accomplishment in itself.
It's generally considered impossible to go beyond S rank. However, both Bell and Alfia have surpassed it via Liaris Freese and other unknown methods, achieving stats in the SS and SSS ranges. Though never officially defined, these are assumed to be:
SS: 1000–1199
SSS: 1200+
Bell, for instance, had SS1001 Strength and SS1100 Endurance as a Level 3, and SSS1501 Endurance as a Level 4.
Base stats reset to I0 upon leveling up, but previous stats remain as an invisible foundation. These hidden values can be decisive in battles between adventurers of the same level.
"Hestia, how are my stats?"
Upon hearing Yuri's question, Hestia didn't respond. She kept staring blankly at his back.
She couldn't understand what was happening in front of her.
She had just bestowed the Falna on Yuri, yet his stats were increasing on their own.
Yuri Winters – Lv. 1
Strength: I (0) → I (27)
Endurance: I (0) → I (33)
Dexterity: I (0) → I (45)
Agility: I (0) → I (31)
Magic: I (0) → I (60)
{Magic}
[][][]
{Abilities}
[Unknown Skill]
A manifestation of great power.
Each magic slot can learn magic without restrictions.
[Sage Body]
Acquires immense vital energy; early-stage immortality.
Affinity with all elements; blessed by spirits.
Complete control over wood-based magic.
[Sun Breath]
Power increases through breathing.
Generates solar energy that can burn anything.
Mastery of light and flame magic.
[Mangekyou Sharingan]
Immune to mental attacks.
Possesses immense spiritual energy.
Grants a variety of unique abilities.
[King of Onis]
Instant regeneration.
Semi-immortality.
Enhanced strength, agility, dexterity, and durability.
Mastery of Kekkijutsu.
"How... how is this possible...?"
Hestia had been in the lower world for some time, and had learned basic information about adventurers through Hephaestus.
But Yuri's status was completely beyond her knowledge.
One of the most important factors for adventurers is whether they can use magic.
Yuri had three magic slots—something rare even among elves.
Before the gods descended, magic was exclusive to certain races. But with the Falna, anyone can now use magic—though that also depends on their individual aptitude.
Spell slots are fixed, ranging from one to three. Generally, adventurers only have one.
Anyone capable of using two types of magic becomes a highly sought-after prospect for powerful Familias.
But three magic slots? That's incredibly rare. Most people with that many are already part of top Familias.
Even so, this was still within the realm of possibility.
But Yuri's skills were completely beyond anything acceptable for a novice.
Buff effects. Powers. Elemental affinities.
Every single skill was something she had never heard of before.
Especially the ability [King of Onis]. That explained his unusual eyes despite looking perfectly human.
While many adventurers share common skill types—for example, elves having natural magic affinity—Yuri's abilities were on another level.
Generally speaking, the skills a Level 1 adventurer gains reflect the essence of who they are. No matter how talented, they rarely gain more than one.
Yet Yuri had five monstrous skills—two of them granting near-immortality.
Each one was powerful enough to start a war between the strongest Familias in Orario.
For a moment, Hestia even wondered if Yuri was a demigod.
Then she remembered—he belonged to a race she'd never heard of.
Oni. More than that—he was the King of Oni.
Hestia's worldview had already been shattered just by those two abilities.
But then she saw [Sun Breath], and her shock only deepened.
She had heard of skills that allowed faster excelia growth.
But a skill that makes someone stronger just by breathing?
Among all of them, only the fourth skill seemed remotely "normal."
Hestia kept breathing heavily, though her body trembled with emotion. She clutched the paper tightly, afraid she might scream from excitement.
She had found a treasure!!
"What's wrong, Hestia? Why are you so quiet and trembling?"
Yuri waited, but the goddess remained frozen. Just as he reached for the paper, she suddenly threw herself into his arms.
"Hehe… hehehe… I really found a treasure!"
Hestia buried her face in his chest, laughing uncontrollably.
Yuri simply smiled and hugged her, then took the paper to examine his status for himself.
"Okay… I wasn't expecting that."
"Yuri!! The Hestia Familia will become the biggest Familia in Orario!!"
The goddess clung to him, rubbing against him with joy.
Yuri smiled, lifted his little finger, and made a promise:
"Hestia, I'm really happy I met you today. I promise—we'll become the strongest Familia in Orario!"
"Yes!!"
The overjoyed goddess reached out and hooked her pinky with his.
The promise was made.
After officially joining the "Oppai Goddess's" Familia, the two became very close.
Hestia walked out with her arm wrapped around Yuri's, laughing proudly.
Her smug expression left Hephaestus and Ryuu a bit annoyed—especially Ryuu, who hadn't realized her own feelings for Yuri until now.
Still, Hephaestus felt a bit of relief, thinking that maybe her lazy best friend would finally move out.
Until...
"Well, I'll be heading out first. See you later."
(End of Chapter)
Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king.