Chapter 4: Problems
I realized that I didn't have a bag to put the magic stones that dropped each time a killed monster disappeared in black smoke well after the time where I started to need one. Using my shirt, wrapped up around the loot and carried on my shoulder, as a way to transport magic stones is not a good way to keep attention away from you once you meet other adventurers.
And fighting with only one hand because the other is carrying your only way to eat, isn't a good way to efficiently kill the monsters of the dungeon as the various nicks on my flesh the weapons of the relatively weak kobolds left proved.
The instant disintegration of matter that happened whenever you killed a monster in the dungeon intrigues me deeply. No matter what I did, I couldn't get a read on whatever happened. Both the soul and the flesh of the monster just completely cease to exist once they die.
I have multiple theories on what is happening here. First, it should be obvious to point out that there are some higher shenanigans involved that I simply can't understand and sense yet.
The first possibility is that the creatures are golems powered by their magic stones.
But I can't confirm it since I can't seem to get a read on the pulsing and shining purple rocks that come out of the monster's body either, but since my cultivation is relatively low, I don't lose any hope because it could be that I just can't penetrate deep enough yet.
However, the problem with this theory is that I can't explain how those golems die through natural means. An injury to their fleshy bodies should not put them out, it would require their magic stones to be destroyed for them to be defeated if that was the case.
The second theory is that they're sort of homunculus, created through dungeon magic. That would explain the natural deaths and the disappearing into magical energy in the form of black smoke after they die, but it wouldn't explain why they would drop a magic stone after their deaths.
Of course, all of this is based upon my rudimentary knowledge of 'anime magic', since I had no idea how magic worked in this setting.
More important than how the mechanism of the monsters worked, I realized today that I couldn't sense magic. When I came back up to the surface after venturing inside of the dungeon for hours, I was greeted by a scuffle between two higher leveled adventurers. One of them had access to magic and used it in the brawl.
The moment I realized that the spell had hit the other adventurer, I also noticed that I couldn't pick up one thing from it. I couldn't get any information on it from the process when the mage used his chant, and I couldn't get anything either when I saw the purple projectile fly through the air.
In the end, some members of the Guild came in to stop their fight since, considering the level and the power of the two adventurers fighting each other, there was a possibility that someone or something would be destroyed due to the altercation.
It was incredibly convenient that I got to witness some sort of magic spell and realize that it was alien to my cultivator senses before I went through a situation where it could become dangerous for me to assume that magic would be the same for me as it is for regular adventurers.
I can't sense it, I can't predict it and I can't understand how it works.
My ability to sense ki, while incredibly useful, is now revealed to be strictly limited to physical phenomena, it simply wouldn't help against mages.
It could also be the case that I just don't have the experience necessary to interact with magic yet, I am, after all, just a beginner in the world of cultivation.
But as I trot my way back to the church, passing through numerous streets with a sizable amount of money exposed, I consider the way Hestia reacted to Bell spending more time in the dungeon than advised and coming back injured…
Yeah, I might need to pacify her and apologize for making her worry. Even though she doesn't love me like she loved Bell…Yet, she probably still is very anxious about my well-being right now.
I simply got over-enthusiastic about fighting again. After spending too many years in the backseat due to an injury in my previous life, being able to feel the thrill of a fight again is like drinking good alcohol after years of being sober.
It hits at first, but before long you find yourself slipping back into your old habits.
I often asked myself if this relationship I have with fighting is an addiction or just a response of my mind after being in this kind of environment since my earliest years.
But now in a world where battling is necessary and walking on a path that requires adversity to push through, this question has lost all of its meaning. If I was truly addicted to fighting, then all is good.
If I'm just too used to it, then it's the same.
I open the door to the church as silently as I can, kind of feeling guilty since I ended up spending more time than expected in the dungeon.
The moment I feel the cozy air of the church, the moment I see the familiar low light inside the building is also the moment I see a bullet-shaped Hestia tackle me to the ground.
Ok, how did she go so fast? Isn't she supposed to have her divine powers sealed?
These questions are forgotten when I see her distressed expression and her eyes darting around my body to check my condition. Each small gash on my torso just makes her more and more upset.
I pat her head, kind of feeling drawn to do this every time she's highly emotional due to her size and giggles at her actions. It seems that my laugh cuts into the tension in her body.
"So you're not hurt? You're truly ok?" she asks in a small voice.
"Yes I am, my goddess, *chuckles* the monsters up to the fourth floor could only bruise me. I'm tougher than I look it seems." I answer, not letting up the opportunity to flex my exposed muscles at the end. Considering my T-shirt is currently being used as a makeshift bag to hold the valis I obtained in exchange for my magic stones at the Guild building, I am currently half-naked. The moment Hestia notice my attire, she hurriedly let me go and stand back up.
Still laughing now because of her embarrassment, shown by how red her cheeks are and her disapproving glare, I mirror Hestia's action, stand up and close the door behind me. I walk into the church with Hestia still annoyed by the fact that I mocked her anxiousness for my well-being.
I sit down on the couch and delicately lay down the 'sack' of gold on the small table. When Hestia hears the loud noise of the gold coins hitting the wooden piece of furniture, she gapes because she can understand what it means.
I even had to abandon a good amount of magic stones on the ground due to the nature of my way of transporting them.
Even then, in the end, I amassed a good amount of money for my first day in the dungeon.
"Ho-How much money Tian-kun?" she asks as if she could not believe the glitter that is now covering the table.
Of course, I can't stop myself from feeling smug about it. "About 14 000 valis. 14 460 to be exact." I answer.
The moment she understands the amount of money I managed to bring back, Hestia all but melts down, her legs suddenly not able to support her weight anymore.
My self-satisfied face fades away because I don't know what to make of her reaction. I stand up from the couch and crouch down next to her.
"My first child, my first child…" she repeats, with an excited tone.
"Your first child…?" I raise my eyebrow, trying to draw the full sentence out of her.
"My first child… is so talented!" she shouts, jumping in the air in joy. At the same time, she bumps my nose, making me stumble for a bit before I lose my balance and fall on my butt. Still, her chirpiness makes me laugh once again. Every time I see her happy, it somehow makes me happy as well.
Like her sadness, her smile is infectious.
"Alright, alright Hestia. I know that I'm awesome, but you will make me blush if you say it like that." I jest.
"That would be a good retribution for every time you teased me Tian-kun, maybe I should start complimenting you a lot then, hmm?" she answers, playing the game.
"I don't have an answer for that, on the one hand, it is a good way to reciprocate, on the other who told you I wouldn't enjoy the compliments?" I told her.
"Pfft, who wouldn't enjoy being complimented by their goddess?" she claims, taking her self-satisfied persona once more.
"Of course Hestia, I mean, who wouldn't want to be complemented by a goddess as beautiful as you, certainly not me," I state, not letting the opportunity to tease her go.
She groans fondly, already getting used to my cheesy comments as she remarks that she set herself up with that one. I simply laugh at her response.
"Still, the only reason I was able to obtain so much money is that the monsters on the first floors are so weak, yet pay so well," I claim due to the lackluster experience I had with the dungeon's spawns.
She turns her head to the roof, humming and putting her finger on the corner of her mouth, one arm supported by the other around her stomach
"Weak enough that a newly blessed adventurer can go up to the fourth floor? Your skills and your magic must have helped a lot…" her breath hitches and she abruptly turns to me.
I raise my hands in surrender while confused at her panicked expression.
"W-what?"
"You…You didn't use your magic in the dungeon, right? That is supposed to be the last resort in the case of lethal danger since it would broadcast the fact that you're an ano-"
"Don't worry Hestia," I say in a relieved tone, hoping it would calm her down, "I didn't use any magic or skill in the dungeon for that matter."
Probably understanding from her lie detector that I wasn't lying, she sags in solace. But right after that, she once again panics over something else.
"TIAN! Y-YOUR BACK!"
"My back?" I feign ignorance while turning around for her to see my ingenious solution.
Once she sees the cloth covering my status, she once again allows herself to breathe. I laugh at the scare I gave her, but she ignores my amusement at the situation because of the emotional high she just went through.
"Wait a minute…" she perks up in realization, "You're telling me that you took a piece of your shirt that you used as a bag, to cover your status, while not wearing any other clothing on your torso?" she deadpans at me, already knowing the answer I'm about to give her.
"Yup, that's exactly the case!" I answer, feeling prideful about my intelligent way of hiding the element on my body that could give me a problem.
"And you didn't tell yourself that it might raise suspicion?"
"Uhhh…" I pause, grasping something quite important, "So that's what the strange stares were about… Not the magic stones..."
She crumbles again, nearly sobbing from the discovery that her first child wasn't particularly bright. Well, I never pretended to be intelligent, to be fair.
I laugh awkwardly, finally understanding how much I fucked up already on my first day as an adventurer. In the end, Hestia takes the best of it and decides to ignore all the problems I could have already brought down upon us.
I think at this moment that giving away my knowledge of the future to Hestia is the best option. I couldn't properly utilize it even if I wanted to.
"Ugh… you might be talented in the body, but you're not in the head…" she remarks, feeling a headache slowly arriving.
She looks at me, and I feel like she's hesitant to say something. "Hmm? Is there something you want to say?" I ask, knowing there is.
"...I kind of feel like if I ask this I'll feel even more terrible," she answers, clearly blaming me for her current tired mental state.
I chuckle but don't give any comments. She's right after all.
"Did...Did you go to the Adventurer's Guild Building to register yourself before you went to the dungeon?" she hesitantly throws out.
"...AH!" And that does it for her, she once again falls in exasperation. I sigh at her exaggerated reactions, feeling like it's not that big of a deal.
I mean, why would they care about a normal adventurer going into the dungeon one day undocumented? It's not like it's the end of the world.
"Come on Hestia, it's not that much of a problem. They have so many adventurers going into and leaving the dungeon each day, they probably don't care that much about what I did for one day." I try to reassure her.
She's slamming down on the floor with her fist, her head turned to the ground, and on her knees. "I don't think you understand how strict the Guild can be Tian-kun…" she says.
"I mean, what could possibly happen, I'll just go tomorrow and apologize, I don't expect something like a Guild investigation-"
I'm interrupted by the sound of thunder going off in the background and three bizarrely dressed men bursting into the building.
"NOBODY expects a Guild investigation!" says the leader, before receiving a punch to the face.
Of course, someone like me that has been relying on his innate ki sense since I arrived in this world, suddenly sensing three unknown signatures appear behind me, would immediately take a combat stance and try to take them out.
The moment I realize what I'm dealing with, it's already too late and the first one is knocked out cold.
"Ah…" Both I and Hestia utter at the same time. I gulp at the incoming problems I once again instigated by my habit of punching before thinking.
"Uhh, sorry?"
The man on the right looks through his glasses at me sternly for a few seconds, making me think that I seriously fucked up, before sighing, seemingly also annoyed at the situation.
"Don't worry young man. Since the members of the Guild Investigation teams are given objects to hide their presence but aren't trained, someone acting out of reflexes and knocking one of us down is a standard procedure. There is a reason why the frontman is called the meat shield after all." He says, apparently a bit resentful towards his job and the problems it creates.
While that answers my question on why I was not able to detect them before, I still have plenty of other thoughts in my head that need to be clarified.
"So... First, why are you telling us this?" I couldn't help but blurt out. If he was supposed to be part of some secret order, why was he explaining how he was able to be sneaky in the first place?
"Well...This information is public. The Guild Investigation is a well-known procedure among older and a little bit more established familias.`` His words, being emitted while he looked around at the state of the church, really gave off the impression that he was looking down on us.
While the third man is currently trying to wake up the unconscious leader of this operation, I observe the intruders more seriously. Now that I am aware of their existence, I can't seem to find anything wrong with them. It's as if I shouldn't have been able to miss them before. Whatever item is giving that effect to them is quite intricate and powerful.
More than that, their black robes and the distinct lack of any characteristic that would make them stand out from the crowd would allow them to hide more efficiently at night from anyone not able to use superior senses.
Even down to their appearances, all three with very short black hair and black eyes, coupled with mildly tanned skin and an average height, it was as if they were bred to not stand out.
I allow myself to relax a little at the clear lack of threat, allowing my fist to fall to my side. Still, I keep my eyes pointed at the man talking since the main reason for their arrival at this church has not been uttered yet.
"So? Why are you there?" I ask, instinctively standing in front of my goddess, who took this time to stand up properly again. She was giving a very serious aura and seemed to be somewhat suspicious of the three men as well.
"Because you have been sighted in suspicious attire, coming out of the dungeon and unregistered in our system. The fact that you seemed to carry rather primitively-" again, another poke at my familia's poor state, "A lot of magic stones and that you seemed to be significantly stronger than the monsters from which the magic stones belonged alarmed us about a potential case of a blue killer." he states impassively.
" A… blue killer?" I question, confused.
"Correct, the term blue designates blue adventurer, which is a way of saying newly blessed adventurers. The term blue killer was coined centuries ago where more experienced adventurers would go down the first floors and slaughter the blue adventurers." I can't help but feel like he's reading off a paper with the monotonousness of his voice.
"Yeah, that's cool and all, but I did not kill anyone," I say, indignant that they would accuse me of such things.
"Then if you're truly a level 1 adventurer, why were you hiding your status so adamantly when you came out of the dungeon?" he declares, looking very satisfied by the lack of an immediate answer.
When I'm about to respond, Hestia takes the lead and points out something very important. "You have no right as a member of the guild to inquire about anything related to the status of anyone." She says in a cold tone, before adding: "Since you have nothing to support your claims, leave my house."
The man hesitates for a second, before looking at his coworker.
"Understood. However, know that your familia member is currently under suspicion and his next actions will be carefully examined to determine whether or not he could be a danger," He pointed out to Hestia, not bothering to give me another look before both of them decide to leave the building without saying another word.
Hestia sighs in relief once she can't hear their footsteps anymore. I concentrate my ki sense to its full extent for a few minutes, following them until they reach a reasonable distance. I relax once they leave the border of my perception, and slump down on the couch.
Hestia does the same next to me, and we enjoy a few minutes of silence to recover from the stressful experience.
"Did you know that the Guild had something like this?" I ask.
She scoffs at my words, seemingly remembering something, "Of course not. I mean haven't you heard? Only the more established familias are aware of their existence apparently," she says in a mocking tone.
"Still, I'll verify at the Guild tomorrow if they truly are affiliated with them or if they were just scammers that tried to utilize the fact that we're a new familia in Orario for their end," I declare, knowing how vicious people could get in this city.
It didn't take me long to realize that the situation under the surface was catastrophic in Orario, especially for those that don't make the cut but still invested everything to come here.
Hestia might be one goddess that struggled to find a familia, but there were thousands of mortals unable to join a familia because of various circumstances at the same time. I knew thanks to this knowledge that, despite her desperate exterior, she wasn't willing to truly lower her standard to that level yet.
And honestly, I can't fault her for that, considering what I've seen out of the people not able to make ends meet. Desperation really makes for an ugly sight sometimes.
"Anyways," Hestia starts, "Now that the nuisance is gone, we have something to talk about, you and me," she says, looking serious.
In moments like this, I remember that she is a goddess that lived for billions of years already.
"Yes, *sigh* we do," I mutter, knowing that the moment has come, "Ok, first, I suppose that you know what a myth is?" Hestia just nods at my words, letting me continue.
"Well, before I arrived here, you could tell that this world was a myth for me. It was a tale that I didn't expect to be true. Of course, like all myths, there is always some theories on whether or not they could be true and that the general populace is simply not exposed to the truth, but in this case, the chance that this particular story was true was close to zero, because it was a story told by another person, not some sort of ancient text with unknown origins."
"But…So you mean to tell me that someone in your old world managed to depict the reality of this world?" asks Hestia, genuinely curious, "Maybe, like you, they interacted with this world, only to come back after and write the story… But still, how would they be able t-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there, I have no idea," I interrupt her before she spends hours trying to figure out which theory is most likely. "It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The problem is whether or not the future of this world that I saw can be trusted, and what can we do with it."
Hestia takes on a pensive expression, taking a short pause to respond, "To be honest, I have no idea. I mean, I know someone, another goddess, that I think can be trusted with the knowledge," She is probably thinking about Hephaestus, "But it doesn't mean that we will be able to change things in our favor. There's a bunch of gods and goddesses back in Heavens that also had divinities related to Time, there's even more that could see the future… But it doesn't mean that they could get the outcomes that they wanted."
That is true, however, "Yes, but at the same time, trying to stick to what we already know is futile. My presence here in this familia is already changing everything. Plus I don't think I, and by proxy, you, have the strength necessary to truly modify what will come."
"So in the end we're stuck on the first step huh... " Hestia mumbles, unable to decide whether or not it's a good thing.
"I wouldn't say that we're necessarily stuck to be fair… I mean, I think there's plenty of things we could act upon before the obstacles appear." I note, thinking about all the hardship Bell was put through due to his circumstances.
Hestia perks up at my words, clearly indicating to me to continue explaining what I am talking about.
"For example, I know about Freya's ability to see souls even with her Arcanum sealed, which means that she will be rather obsessive about anyone with a unique soul," I state, slightly frightened of what that means for me that has just obtained cultivator roots.
I mean, cultivating the soul was a whole part of the process, but I couldn't know in advance what it would be seen as by Freya. I knew nothing about techniques to hide your soul if they even existed, to begin with.
"W-what? But...but," Hestia stutters, unable to voice out her thoughts before she closes her mouth and frowns in realization.
"That's... That's a piece of rather important information, it means that Freya did something at some point to keep this ability even in the lower world," Hestia claims.
"Is that so?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, the ability to judge souls isn't something a lot of gods have, but at the same time it's still supposed to disappear upon entering mortal grounds," she answers, seemingly perturbed by this information.
"Come to think of it, Hestia… you seem to know a lot about things regarding gods and goddesses," She nods, seemingly not understanding what I'm going for, "Is that something everyone in Heavens knows or is it exclusive knowledge?"
"Tian-kun… us gods have been living in the Heavens for far too long. There are little secrets left after such a lengthy period," Hestia replies.
I simply nod at that and decide to change the topic, "More importantly, I need to have my status checked. After that, I'll tell you everything about what I know of the future."
Hestia gets hyped up once again and regains her chirpy tone, "Oh, I nearly forgot about that! With all this serious talk…" she says, watching me expose the status on my back and lying down on my stomach. She mounts me and when the drop of divine blood hits my back, I once again feel the strange sensation of being judged.
"It seems that I'll never get used to it…" I mutter.
"Getting used to what?"
"Ah… Whenever your blood enters my body, I feel an uncomfortable sensation throughout my mind. It's like I'm getting judged or something…"
She slaps a piece of paper on my back and climbs down my body, "Here you go," she says, giving me the paper, "You feel like you're getting judged? Maybe that's one of the effects of your skills, you're able to perceive what a divine blessing is doing."
"So that's what it does?" I question her.
"Yep! There's a reason why it's impossible to level up without achieving something the gods recognize. There needs to be a majority of the gods, that are in the vicinity of the person that wants to level up, that recognize a feat worthy of leveling up. If that's the case, then the falna accepts it and level up the person, giving him an immense boost in his capabilities," my goddess explains to me, sitting next to me while I check over my updated status.
Tian
Level 1
Strength I0->I47
Endurance I0->I63
Dexterity I0->I38
Agility I0->I87
Magic I0->I0
Skills:
Schism: No longer, the rules of the sky bind me.
Quintessence: Because one must know themselves, before walking the road of the sky.
Magic:
The Essence of Life: (Variable Chant Magic)
Alters reality following the way of the five elements
"Is that good or not?" I ask Hestia's opinion on my increase in stats. She seems to think about it for a second before answering me, "It's... Well for a new adventurer it's good. But considering the number of monsters you killed…" she trails off.
"So because I'm currently stronger than a normal beginner adventurer, I don't get the same gains that they would if they fought the monsters that I fought," I theorize while Hestia nods at my word.
"Falna acts based on challenges overcame. The monsters on the first few floors simply aren't strong enough to push you to your limits, so you don't gain much from it."
I sigh, "It's time that I tell you what I know then."
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