Arthas showed no reaction to Hestia's words of comfort. In this world full of adventure and opportunity, strength should theoretically represent everything.
Everyone should yearn for strength, especially after signing a contract with a Goddess and becoming a Familia member. Being favored by a God, what reason is there not to strive to become stronger?
But Arthas felt nothing of the sort. He didn't have a strong desire for strength, a yearning to become stronger.
Perhaps… the relentless pursuit of strength is a strong desire for the weak, but for those born strong, it's meaningless.
Was he born strong?
Arthas didn't know. He didn't understand the basis for his indifference to danger and his apathy towards becoming stronger.
The crystal-clear ice plate in Hestia's hand wasn't as cold as she'd described. Holding it, he felt only a refreshing coolness.
The plate was covered in indecipherable characters. Arthas fell silent for a moment. Hestia, curious, leaned over and patted his shoulder, comforting him.
"Well… I told you not to worry. It's only your first day as an adventurer."
"No… I just can't understand it at all."
Arthas said honestly, causing Hestia to twitch her mouth.
"Well… if you can't understand it, you can't understand it. This is just the beginning of your adventuring career. Your strength will increase eventually."
Patting Arthas's shoulder, Hestia comforted him, but Arthas didn't mind.
He couldn't understand the characters, but he recognized some of the letters and numbers.
For example, his name on the first line of the ice plate.
"Arthas" wasn't written in the language of this world but in a familiar, powerful script.
Though he couldn't recall the exact script, Arthas instinctively felt a sense of familiarity and knew the characters represented his name.
Below that was a clear LV1.
Then came numbers after the letter 'I,' all in the pitiful twenties, except for the last column, which showed a question mark.
These must be his stats… Is that question mark his Magic stat?
Though Hestia said he possessed magic, he couldn't feel any magic or mana.
His Magic stat was a question mark, and becoming a Familia member granted him his own magic. It sounded impressive, but Arthas didn't understand it at all.
"What exactly are magic and mana?"
Arthas muttered. Instead of racking his brain, it would be easier to ask Hestia.
"Well, magic was initially a specialty of certain races. However, there are also instances of those who have never received a God's blessing discovering magic on their own."
"But those are stories from heroic legends; their truth is unverified. Generally, a person can master a fixed number of spells—one at minimum, three at most. One spell is average. If someone can use two spells, they're an amazing hero."
"For example, wind magic can easily slaughter hundreds of people, and fire magic is something you can't defeat even with a sword."
"But, Hestia, you still haven't explained what magic actually is"
"Um… what magic is… how should I explain this…"
Seeing Arthas's curious and inquisitive gaze, Hestia looked away nervously.
"How should I explain this? It's very complicated."
"So complicated that even Hestia doesn't know?"
"I do know! It's just…"
Hestia's cheeks flushed, as if Arthas had hit a sore spot.
"Well, it's difficult to explain clearly. It involves so much! My understanding as a God, even if I explained it, you might not understand."
"I see…"
He'd been somewhat hopeful, but if Hestia couldn't explain it, he wouldn't bother.
There's no use pondering the unexplainable. For now, he'd rely on his dagger.
Of course, he first needed to encounter monsters…
Tomorrow… he should encounter monsters in the Dungeon, right?
According to Eina, his uneventful trip to the fifth floor was just incredibly lucky—an unlikely event that shouldn't happen again.
"But anyway, Arthas, you possess magic. Even if you can't use it well now or feel confused, it's okay. You'll eventually master your magic. After all, your adventuring career has just begun. You have a long way to go."
Seeing Arthas seemingly lost in thought, Hestia patted his shoulder again, comforting him.
"I'm not worried about that. I'm just thinking…"
Seeing Hestia smiling at him with narrowed eyes, Arthas chose to remain silent. Mentioning his lack of monster encounters would sound strange.
And he didn't want Hestia to know he'd gone all the way to the fifth floor.
"Forget it, get some rest. You worked hard today."
Stroking Hestia's head, Arthas saw a hint of weariness in the hardworking Goddess's eyes.
"It's fine. But Arthas, you should rest early too. Don't come back so late tomorrow; I'll worry. Adventuring should be gradual and within your capabilities. Don't be greedy and try to defeat too many monsters in one day."
"I know, my Goddess."
Arthas said this with a chuckle, but Hestia slapped his hand away.
"Don't use that baby-talking tone with me! That 'Goddess' is not sincere, and I'm not a child!"
Hestia retorted, forcefully pushing Arthas back onto the bed. Her ample bosom swayed before him, making Arthas awkwardly turn his head away.
Indeed… she's not a child.
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