章 12: "Chapter 12 Date with Hestia and Future Problems"

That same evening...

"Come on, Alex, lie down on the couch and lift your shirt so I can update your status," Hestia said, pushing Alex toward the couch.

"Alright, no need to push, I'll do it now," Alex replied, lying down on the couch and baring his back.

While Hestia was updating Alex's status, his thoughts were occupied with how soft the couch was—money well spent. Fighting off drowsiness, Alex was making plans for the next day.

"Okay, your status is updated. No changes, except there are some new titles," Hestia said, reviewing Alex's updated stats.

"Let me see what these new titles are," Alex said, getting up and taking the paper from Hestia.

"What's wrong with these titles? What do 'One Punch Man' and 'Titan Slayer' even mean? And this one—'Fist of Destruction'—is just ridiculous. Who comes up with these titles? (Apologies). The only decent one here is 'David vs. Goliath.' If anyone finds out about these titles, I'll be socially dead again," Alex said, reading his status with a twitching eye.

"Hestia, I hope you won't tell anyone about these titles, because they're embarrassing even to read," Alex said, looking at his goddess with a vacant stare.

"No one will know, I swear by my name, I won't let anyone embarrass a member of my family," Hestia replied, saluting like a soldier.

"Hestia, listen, we'll need to go to the guild tomorrow to update my status anyway. How about after that, we take a walk and go for a stroll?" Alex proposed to Hestia.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Hestia asked, blushing and twirling her pigtails.

"If you want, it can be a date. If you're uncomfortable, we can call it a family outing," Alex said, seeing Hestia's embarrassment.

"Hmph. Idiot, I'm not talking to you anymore," Hestia said angrily, wrapping herself in a blanket and turning into a cocoon.

"So, are we going out tomorrow?" Alex asked the cocoon where Hestia was hiding.

"Yes!" was all Hestia said before going silent.

Seeing that Hestia didn't want to talk anymore, Alex shook his head and went to wash up, preparing for bed. As he lay down to sleep, Alex wished Hestia goodnight, and all he heard in return was a "Hmph." Shaking his head at his goddess's antics, Alex began to drift off to sleep.

The next morning...

Waking up, Alex saw Hestia still sleeping on him and shook his head. Lying there a bit longer, knowing there was no rush today, Alex continued to stroke Hestia's head, lost in his thoughts. After a while, he decided to start waking her up. All his attempts to wake the lazy goddess were met with her mumbling, "Mmm, just a few more minutes." She just wrapped her small arms around his neck and asked to be carried to the bathroom.

Seeing no other choice, Alex picked up Hestia and carried her to the bathroom so she could wash up. After spending some time on morning routines, Alex and Hestia got ready and left the house. Heading towards the guild and grabbing breakfast on the way, they arrived at their destination.

"Yo, Eina, how are you?" Alex greeted, raising his hand in a friendly wave.

"I see you're still in the mood for jokes. Maybe I should give you another lecture?" Eina said with a stern look.

"No, thanks, I'll pass," Alex replied, crossing his arms to show he'd had enough last time.

"If you're not here for another lecture, then what brings you here?" Eina asked, adjusting her glasses.

"All questions go to my goddess," Alex said, pointing to Hestia standing next to him.

"How can I help you, Hestia-sama?" Eina asked, shifting her gaze to Hestia.

"We're here because Alex has leveled up, and we need to update his records," Hestia said calmly, though pride shone in her eyes.

"I see, you're here to update the records and... LEVEL UP WHAT?" Eina started speaking calmly but ended with a shout, unable to believe her ears.

"I'm saying, Alex has leveled up, and we're here to update his records," Hestia repeated louder.

"Oh my god! The guy who just became an adventurer has leveled up," Eina was so shocked that her glasses slid down her face.

Meanwhile, as Alex and Hestia were busy with the paperwork, the adventurers in the guild overheard why they were there.

"Hey, did you hear? It seems that crazy newbie leveled up," one observer said.

"I'm not even surprised, considering what this guy has done in the past few days," another replied.

"What do you mean you're not surprised?" his friend asked.

"Where else have you seen a newbie who breaks through 10 floors on his first day and then defeats a Goliath solo on the second day?" he replied to his friend.

"You're right. So, he leveled up faster than the Sword Princess; it took her several months to level up, and this newbie did it in just two days," his friend began to say.

"If he doesn't die in the dungeon, his achievements will be significant," his friend concluded.

After finishing the paperwork, Alex and Hestia said goodbye to Eina and headed to the shopping street.

Shopping Street...

Arriving at the shopping street, Alex and Hestia decided to wander among the stalls and look for something interesting. Strolling between the booths, Alex suggested to Hestia to visit one of the clothing stores. Approaching the most decent-looking store, they decided to go in and see what they could buy here.

While Hestia was busy searching for suitable clothing for herself, Alex also decided to pick out a couple of casual items for himself. Taking a couple of t-shirts, one black and the other red, he went to choose pants and shoes for himself. After quickly making his choices and handing the clothes to the clerk, Alex noticed that Hestia still hadn't picked anything. Remembering that girls usually take a long time to choose clothes, Alex, like a true gentleman, decided to approach and ask if anything caught her eye.

"Hestia, if you like something, just take it and try it on. If the clothes fit you, we'll buy them," Alex said, approaching the goddess.

"I don't know, there's so much choice here, and I can't decide," replied Hestia, examining the clothes.

"We have all day, you don't need to hurry," Alex said, encouraging Hestia.

"Really, I don't need to hurry?" asked an excited Hestia.

"Yes, really. Now go ahead and choose the clothes you want to try on," Alex said calmly, stroking Hestia's head.

"Thank you!" exclaimed Hestia, hugging Alex and rushing off to pick out clothes.

(Author's note: Don't forget, dear readers, that Hestia is also a girl and she likes beautiful clothes too. And the most important advice from the author: if a girl takes you to a clothing store, don't cry like a little child, just follow her like a ghost and say that the clothes look good on her.)

After some time, trying on a lot of clothes, Hestia settled on a couple of dresses of different styles and several pairs of sandals in white and brown. Seeing there was still time left, Alex suggested going somewhere else to Hestia. After thinking for a while, Hestia suggested going to Babylon because Hephaestus mentioned that there was a trading floor there where adventurers could buy many things. Alex agreed, hoping to find several types of metal there to make himself a few trinkets.

Babylon's Trading Floor...

Riding the elevator up to Babylon's trading floor, Alex and Hestia found themselves amidst a multitude of shops filled with diverse goods: from simple potion pouches to weapons and armor. Walking between the displays, Alex noticed one shop that caught his attention. Deciding to check the prices, he stopped at the sword showcase.

"30 million for some crap sword? Are you kidding me? It just looks fancy, nothing more," Alex complained to his goddess, puzzled by why this sword was so expensive.

"That 'crap sword' was made by a child from my family," a voice came from inside the shop.

"Hephaestus , I didn't expect to see you here!" exclaimed Hestia, noticing her friend.

"This shop belongs to my family," Hephaestus replied, standing at the shop's entrance.

"Yo, Hephaestus , how's it going? Sorry, but that doesn't change the fact that this sword is terrible, even if it's made by a member of your family," greeted Alex, not missing the opportunity to voice his opinion.

"The swords in this display are not for sale, they're for decoration," Hephaestus explained, inviting them inside.

"Hephaestus , why are you still wearing an eye patch if your issue is resolved?" Hestia asked, noticing her friend's eye patch.

"I've gotten used to it and I don't want the gods to start flocking with marriage proposals. After what they did in the Realm of Gods, I won't tolerate their behavior," Hephaestus replied, showing her disdain for the hypocritical gods.

"Right, let them all go to hell, just like when they saw your eye," Hestia supported her friend.

"So why did you come here?" Hephaestus asked, taking a seat behind the counter.

"Hestia suggested coming here since you mentioned that there's a lot here useful for adventurers. So here we are," Alex replied, with Hestia nodding in agreement.

"And since we're here, I thought of buying a couple of metals to make some trinkets for myself," Alex said, examining the shop.

"We have a couple of metals left in stock. I'll bring them now, and you can see if they suit you," Hephaestus said, heading to the storeroom.

"Here are the metals that were left over. If they suit you, you can take them," Hephaestus said, laying the metals on the counter.

"I think I can make something out of these. How much will they cost?" Alex asked, holding the metals in his hands.

"They're worthless, good for nothing else, so you can take them," Hephaestus calmly replied.

"Then I won't be polite and I'll take them. I can show you later what I make," Alex said, hiding the metals in his backpack.

Chatting for a while longer, they noticed that evening had come, time for dinner. Alex suggested having dinner together, but Hephaestus declined, saying she still had things to do in the shop. She reminded Hestia that the gods' assembly was approaching and she needed to prepare. Nervously nodding, Hestia took Alex's hand, and they left the shop.

Alex suggested going to "The Landlady of Plenty" for dinner, which Hestia agreed to, mentioning that she was tired of walking. Seeing Hestia behaving whimsically again, Alex allowed her to climb onto his back, and he carried her towards the restaurant.

"Mistress of Fertility..."

Approaching "Mistress of Fertility," Hestia climbed down from Alex's back, and they entered the restaurant. They were greeted by Chloe.

"I see you decided to drop by, Alex-kun. Did you miss us?" Chloe playfully asked.

"Of course, I missed the charming waitresses. Looks like it's packed here. Is there a spot for me and my goddess?" Alex replied, scanning the crowded room.

"Oh, you sweet talker. Right now, everything's taken, but there are seats at the counter. Would that be okay for you?" Chloe blushed, waving her hand.

"We're not picky, as long as we can fill our stomachs. Right, Hestia?" Alex turned to Hestia, who nodded in agreement.

"Then follow me, I'll show you to your seats," Chloe said.

"Here, please have a seat. When you're ready to order, just call for me," Chloe said, winking at Alex.

"Thank you. Hestia, choose what you'd like. I'll go with their signature dish as usual," Alex said, handing the menu to Hestia.

"I see you're back again, troublemaker," a familiar voice chimed in.

"Good evening, Mia. Looks like you're still in a good mood," Alex said, looking up at Mia, who had just approached.

"Are you here to ogle my waitresses again, or are you planning to wreck my restaurant again?" Mia asked in a rough tone.

"I'm not ogling them, just appreciating their beauty. And as for wrecking your restaurant, that was a one-time accident. I fixed everything right away," Alex replied calmly.

"I don't care. If you break anything again, you're dead meat, you little brat," Mia said angrily.

"I promise not to break anything, and if I do, I'll fix it immediately. No need to worry. Worst case, I'll pay for anything that gets damaged," Alex said, trying to calm Mia down.

"You better keep your promise," Mia said before heading back to the kitchen.

Having placed their orders, Alex and Hestia began chatting while they waited for their dinner to arrive. Unbeknownst to them, a group of people with ill intentions was heading towards the restaurant. Yet even if they had known, they wouldn't have paid any attention, for why bother with such riffraff?

The group entered the restaurant and started looking around until they spotted their target, for whom they had come. Approaching Alex and Hestia, they began speaking.

"Oh look, it's the crazy newbie who broke through ten floors on his first day and defeated Goliath on his second," one of them said.

"Indeed, those achievements must have gotten to his head. Now he thinks he's special, right guys?" added another.

"He's probably so full of himself that he thinks he's better than everyone else," said the third.

"Hey, idiots, if you came here to cause trouble, just say so instead of behaving like children whose only skill is insulting others," Alex said, turning his head towards them.

"Did you hear that, guys? He says we're causing trouble. Ha-ha-ha," the second one laughed, egging on his friends.

"Yeah, thinks he's better than everyone else. And what, he's gonna hit us now?" the first one said.

"Go ahead, hit us, tough guy," taunted the third.

"Well, you asked for it yourselves. Who am I to refuse you?" Alex said, standing up and cracking his knuckles.

"No need for this, ignore them. Let them say what they want," Hestia said, grabbing Alex's hand to stop him.

"Don't worry, Hestia. Any problem that arises from this will be easily resolved," Alex said, removing Hestia's hand and approaching the trio of idiots.

Approaching them, Alex decided to use his secret move for dealing with idiots — the "Burial Strike." Seeing that their provocation had worked, the trio began to rejoice, preparing to teach the newbie a lesson. But they had no idea they had provoked a being feared even by their own god. If they knew his identity, they would have run back to the heavens, praying to other gods not to let him come for them. But that's a story for another time. For now, let's return to the trio of idiots and Alex, who was preparing to teach them a lesson.

Seeing Alex approach closer, the three took their positions, preparing to attack. Alex took a light step and found himself in front of them, delivering three consecutive strikes that buried them in the ground. Seeing only their legs sticking out of the ground, Alex nodded in satisfaction and returned to his place.

"I told you not to break anything! Are you selectively deaf?" Mia started shouting as she rushed out from the kitchen upon hearing the commotion.

"I'll fix everything, no need to yell. Just figuring out who these idiots are," Alex calmly replied, looking at the legs sticking out from under the ground.

"Hey, what's going on here?" a cheerful voice rang out at the entrance to the restaurant.

"Hey Alex, how's it going?" Tiona asked, running up to him.

"Hey Tiona, good to see you. Just encountered three idiots and trying to figure out where they're from," Alex greeted the approaching Amazon.

"If you pull them out, I might be able to tell which family they belong to," Tiona said cheerfully.

"Looks like you used the 'Burial Strike' again," Tiona remarked, surveying the state of the trio of idiots.

"Yeah, that move works great against idiots like them," Alex said, approaching one and grabbing him by the legs.

"Seems wherever you go, trouble always follows you, Valdigoad-san," a male voice remarked.

"Yo, guys. Looks like you all decided to come eat," Alex said, greeting the others.

"Since you're all here, can you tell which family these idiots belong to?" Alex asked, pulling one out of the ground.

"Looks like these idiots belong to the Apollo family. His children always do this: provoke promising newcomers, pretend to get injured, then Apollo challenges the newcomer's family and tries to recruit them into his own," Finn began explaining the actions of the Apollo family.

"Well, now things are getting more interesting," Alex said, tossing the trio of idiots out of the restaurant. Then he fixed the floor, as Mia was eyeing him like a hawk.

"The Apollo family has done this more than once, so you should be more careful in the future," Finn warned, reminding Alex of potential troubles.

"Don't worry, I'm actually looking forward to it," Alex said, anticipating the next assembly of the gods.

To be continued...