Chapter 11 – Hestia
Shff—
Inside the main room of the house, Akira pulled off his shirt without a word.
"Hey! Why are you suddenly taking off your clothes?!"
Hephaestus's face flushed red the moment she turned and saw him stripping. Seriously?! The second he steps into her home, he just starts undressing?
What kind of place does he think this is?!
"Lady Hephaestus, can you update my Falna? I figured… since we're not doing anything right now anyway."
"Huh? Update your Falna?"
The words made her freeze for a moment, then her expression dimmed a little.
…So that's what this is about.
"Do you even know that Falna updates are usually done every two weeks? You need to submit a request, and there's a strict limit on how often."
"Err… I didn't know that."
Hephaestus nearly choked on her own scolding. Right, of course—he'd just joined today. Of course he wouldn't know the protocols.
"But c'mon, Goddess~ We're kinda close already, right? Just this once?"
"Hmph! Who's close with you!? But… fine. Just this time. Don't get used to it."
"Got it~ Got it~"
Akira grinned, clearly not taking her scolding seriously.
The needle from his initial Falna blessing was still lying on the table. Hephaestus picked it up, pricked her fingertip, and let a drop of divine blood fall onto Akira's back.
The divine blood reacted instantly.
It shimmered—then activated the Falna system embedded on his skin.
All of the experience Akira had gained that day was recorded, calculated, and converted into growth stats by the power of the gods.
---
[Shin Akira]
Level: 1
Strength: I · 0 → I · 99
Endurance: I · 0 → I · 99
Dexterity: I · 0 → I · 99
Agility: I · 0 → I · 99
Magic: I · 0 → I · 99
Magic: —
Skills:
[King of All Shadowkhan]
・Sovereign of all Shadowkhan
・Enhanced spiritual energy
・Grants ability to summon Shadowkhan troops
[Greed]
・Insatiable desire for all things
・Accelerated growth rate
・Extra experience gained from slaying monsters
— — —
Hephaestus blinked in disbelief as the status display formed on his back.
Every stat—all five of them—had jumped by 99 points.
That was… 495 points in a single day.
Completely absurd.
Sure, it was common for adventurers to see a major boost after their first Falna blessing, but this? This was unheard of.
Even the famed Sword Princess from the Loki Familia—currently Orario's most talked-about rookie—didn't grow this fast.
It had taken her an entire year to reach Level 2.
Akira had been in Orario for less than a day. The difference was terrifying.
Hephaestus's eyes drifted to one of his newly awakened skills:
[Greed]
・Insatiable desire for all things
・Accelerated growth rate
・Extra experience gained from slaying monsters
— — —
That explained it.
The sheer boost in growth… the massive stat gains… this skill was undoubtedly the culprit.
"How did it turn out?" Akira asked curiously, eager to see his progress.
"It's done," she replied after snapping out of her thoughts.
She copied the status sheet onto parchment and handed it to him.
Akira took one glance and smiled. A full 99-point boost across the board—absolutely satisfying.
He could feel it too. The surge of power within him. This Falna… this divine system the gods brought down—it was real, and it was no joke.
"In all my years living in Orario… I've never seen anyone grow this fast after one day," Hephaestus said quietly. "Akira… you're a monster-level genius."
"Well, obviously. I'm the guy destined to win your heart, remember?"
"…You really didn't need to say that out loud."
Flustered again, Hephaestus turned away and marched off in a huff.
Akira slipped his shirt back on, grinning at her retreating figure.
Too easy, he thought. This goddess is way too easy to read.
Just then—
Knock knock knock!
A loud pounding echoed from the front door.
Akira blinked. Who would come knocking at this hour?
Still curious, he walked over and opened it.
"Hephaestus~!!"
In a flash, a petite girl with twin tails lunged forward and wrapped her arms tightly around him, almost sobbing.
Before he could react—
Hephaestus, who had just returned to the hallway, saw everything.
Her eyes widened.
Her mood shifted like a triggered landmine.
Like someone just stole her favorite treasure.
"Let go of him!! Hestia!!"
Her voice thundered across the room like an explosion.
The small girl—the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia—froze.
Slowly, she looked up at Akira's unfamiliar face… then glanced to the side—where Hephaestus stood, seething.
"Oh no…" Hestia blinked. "I—I hugged the wrong guy!?"
She instantly leapt away like a startled cat.
"S-sorry! Sorry, Hephaestus! I didn't know you had someone else here!"
She laughed awkwardly, desperately trying to defuse the tension.
"What are you doing here, Hestia?"
Hephaestus marched forward and yanked Akira behind her like a mother protecting her child.
Hestia didn't seem fazed though. In fact, Akira raised a brow in interest.
Was this… jealousy?
Good.
That was a very good sign.
"I just… I don't have anywhere else to go," Hestia said, her voice suddenly soft. "So… I was wondering if I could stay here with you for a little while?"
Hephaestus instinctively turned toward Akira.
The situation was eerily similar.
Akira had shown up earlier with the exact same reason. No place to go. No one to rely on.
She sighed deeply.
Hestia had just descended from the Upper World. She was new to Orario—utterly clueless, even more so than a fresh mortal.
And the only god she was close to… was Hephaestus.
Other deities like Takemikazuchi or Miach? They were barely scraping by themselves.
So really, the only place Hestia could turn to… was here.
If Akira hadn't been around, Hephaestus wouldn't have even hesitated.
But now… things were complicated.
"Hestia, I…"
"I don't have anyone else, Hephaestus…" Hestia whispered, eyes shimmering like wet crystal.
That gaze hit Hephaestus like a hammer to the chest.
Turning her away now would feel like committing a sin.
A cruel, unforgivable one.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon:
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ 115+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ 2 new chapters every day (Monday–Saturday), exclusive on Patreon
✅ Be among the first readers to experience Arc 3 and the new season before anyone else!
📖 The first chapter of Arc 3 is now live!
You can read it right now on Patreon~
🌙 Note: Sunday is a rest day, so there will be no updates tomorrow. Regular uploads resume as usual on Monday.
Thank you all so much for your amazing support 💖
Your encouragement keeps this story alive and growing stronger every single day! 🌟
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —