Although the main purpose was for experiments, I did go to the dungeon and hunt monsters, so I asked Miach to update my Falna, but
"...Kai."
"Yes?"
Unlike when he usually updates my Falna, he hesitated for a while and deliberately avoided my gaze.
"I'm sorry to say this, but... to be honest, I'm afraid to update your Falna..."
"...I understand."
"The gunpowder and gun you made... just those two are enough to call for a divine meeting, and if you can level up on top of that..."
"God, I haven't exceeded D in any status yet, so even if I wanted to, I can't."
"...With your current growth rate, it seems like that will happen soon, which is why I'm saying this."
"That... I have nothing to say..."
And so, the result of updating the Falna was
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[Kai] (Feat Achieved)
LV. 1
Strength: H 101 -> H 110
Endurance: H 112 -> H 119
Agility: I 89 -> H 101
Dexterity: I 69 -> I 81
Magic: I 64 -> I 77
Skills
[Immortal]
- Upon death, revives with all accumulated fatigue and wounds regenerated.
- When the body regenerates, if there are impurities in that location, they are removed regardless of material.
[Adaptability]
Adaptation Target: Ability/Attribute/Environment
Adaptation Method: The body gains immunity to attacks or damage experienced.
Adaptation Requirement: Adaptation begins when struck by the target to adapt to.
[Cognitive Shaping]
- Understanding creates form.
- When immersed, enters a state of Shaping Insight.
Magic
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"So it's true that if I reach D in any status, I can level up..."
Well... I expected it to some extent because of the conversation I had with Naza.
"If it's accidentally discovered, the gods will cause all sorts of trouble to take you away..."
"That... is a bit unpleasant..."
As I said before, most of the gods here have a mindset of 'Trouble? What's that!!' and are basically annoying pieces of... no, bundles of trouble, so to get what they want, they don't hesitate to commit all sorts of eccentric acts, and if I refuse to go, there's no telling what they might do behind my back.
"...God."
At that moment, I thought of a solution that I had only considered but never tried, which seemed quite good in this situation.
"...Huh? What is it?"
What if our Familia becomes a mid-level or above Familia in terms of position? The idea of sharing the various designs and recipes I've only written down and haven't revealed to the world yet with those who can actually reproduce them, in exchange for some money and protection.
"I deliberately didn't ask until now, but... how much is the debt our Familia owes to Dian Cecht Familia?"
To realize this method, one of two conditions had to be met, and one of them was to raise our Familia's image to a certain level, so it was important to first get rid of the debt.
"..."
Miach paused for a moment at my sudden question, but then silently held up one finger.
"One million?"
'Shake shake'
"...Ten million?"
'...Shake shake'
"...One hundred million?"
'...Nod'
Well... considering the unpaid debt, it was expected, but I hated that I had held out hope inwardly.
"Kai, even before you came, we were slowly paying it off, and thanks to the bath bombs you made and Naza's Dual Potion, we're now out of the hundred million range, but... there's still a long way to go..."
Hearing the amount of debt, I somewhat understood Dian Cecht's actions towards Miach until now.
"...At least it's good that there's no interest."
"For that part, I'm grateful to Dian Cecht..."
I should give up on the first condition of paying off the debt to shed the image of a debtor Familia...
"We agreed to reduce the debt by supplying the Dual Potion Naza made to Dian Cecht's side, so maybe it's okay..."
Then, the second plan was to not just share but completely sell off some of the designs and recipes I have, use the money earned to move the shop to a bustling area with high foot traffic, and slowly restore the Familia's image.
"But why are you asking this suddenly?"
I almost said 'You're asking really quickly...' but I decided to spill what I had been thinking about to Miach.
"...God, if I were to earn a large sum of money in a short time and suggest moving the shop to a place with high foot traffic, what would you do?"
"Well... if such a thing really happens, since it's money you earned, I'd probably tell you to use it as you wish."
"Anyway, you're too kind... In any case, I have some things that I think would be dangerous if revealed to the world or are hard to realize immediately, and I plan to share them with some production-type Familias..."
"W, wait!? Are you saying you'll sell things like guns and gunpowder that could cause big trouble if mishandled to other gods!?"
"Yes, but rather than selling, sharing or lending might be a better expression. Ah, but you don't need to worry too much. Among the items I've made designs and recipes for, there's nothing more dangerous than guns and gunpowder yet."
At the words that nothing is more dangerous than gunpowder, he seemed somewhat relieved, but then he looked at me with a serious expression unlike usual and seemed lost in thought as if pondering something.
"Sigh... I have a lot to say, but let me ask this first... what's the reason for suddenly thinking this?"
The reason was, of course, for my sake.
"Th, that is..."
...No, to be honest, I'm fine, but I don't want Miach and Naza to suffer because of me, which is why I'm doing this.
"...Please don't hide it and tell me, will you?"
I tried to confidently state my feelings, but when it came time to actually say it, my mouth wouldn't open easily.
"...I think this is necessary for our safety."
Normally, he would have said 'Okay, I see' and moved on... but now the atmosphere wasn't one to easily overlook. Moreover, swept up in the atmosphere, I felt that now was the right time to reveal my past, and I had no intention of letting it pass easily.
"What do you mean..."
To be honest, I was afraid... Even now, memories of my past on Earth, where I only caused trouble for my parents and died without properly repaying them, are gnawing at me bit by bit, and the thought of Miach and Naza, who are like family to me, being harmed because of me?
"...God, could you call Naza senior for me?"
On the surface, I might act fine and say it's okay, but if I actually saw such a situation, it was obvious that even if they endured, I wouldn't be able to.
"...What's the matter?"
Originally, I was thinking of making the first move to prevent such a situation from happening.
"I brought Naza as you requested, so now will you tell us the story?"
So, sorry to the manager and her senior, but I plan to reveal some of my secrets to Miach and Naza.
"Miach, what's going on here...?"
"It seems Kai has something to tell us."
"I, I..."
When I tried to speak, it felt like something invisible was stopping me, as if telling me not to say it, but what use is hesitating now that I've come this far.
"Actually... I have memories from another world."
I don't plan to tell everything, just the parts necessary to explain why I'm doing this.
"Another world...?"
"That world was called Earth. Unlike this world, concepts like magic and mana didn't exist, so scientific civilization developed, and the race called humans only had humans, with no monsters, so it was a world where humans fought wars over each other's territories and resources."
"...Such a world exists?"
"Hmm..."
"And in that world, from a young age, I was involved in all kinds of accidents, received a major blow to the head, was in a vegetative state for six years, miraculously regained consciousness, and while trying to return to a normal daily life, a robber's knife stabbed my neck and I died..."
"..."
"Hah..."
"And now, in this world, I lived a similar life, lost my memories due to a major psychological shock, wandered in that state, first recalled the memories of Earth, and came here to Orario."
Although a lot was omitted, I explained only the truth in the necessary parts. But
"Anyway... that's all of my story..."
Clearly, at first, I was looking straight at God and Naza with my head up while speaking, but when the story ended and I came to my senses, I was already staring at the floor, slightly trembling.
"...You've been through a lot."
"It was hard, wasn't it...?"
Contrary to expectations, the sudden hug and encouragement from the two made me catch my breath for a moment due to some inexplicable emotional change, and when I looked at God and Naza,
"No matter what past you have or what memories you hold, you are the child I personally shared blood with."
"I'm sorry I didn't notice until now... you must have suffered holding it in..."
"...Huh?"
The moment I confirmed the expressions of the two who were genuinely worried about me, for some reason, I started to feel breathless, and
"Yes..."
I silently shed tears endlessly in their embrace.
.
.
.
"So... what's the reason for suddenly telling us this story...?"
"I said before. When the time comes, I'll tell you."
"You did say that, but... it feels very sudden..."
"I'm curious too, about why this story came up suddenly from what you mentioned earlier."
Actually, it was because I was worried that if I level up, it might cause trouble for the two of them, but...
"..."
"...Why are you avoiding eye contact?"
When it came time to say it, I felt embarrassed.
"Um... when I updated my Falna this time, it seems I achieved a feat..."
"I thought so... and?"
"How long has it been since I started adventurer activities?"
"Hmm... if I remember correctly, it's been about 25 days."
"...It hasn't even been a month, and not only have I achieved a feat, but soon my status will reach D and I'll be able to level up. What do you think will happen?"
Upon hearing my question, the two pondered for a moment and then opened their mouths simultaneously.
""Troublesome things will happen...""
"Right? And I don't like the people around me getting hurt because of me. So the idea I came up with is to provide or sell some of Earth's knowledge to production-type Familias in exchange for them protecting our Familia from doing anything foolish."
"Oho... that's a pretty good idea...?"
"So that's why you said you'd sell some of the knowledge you have earlier."
"Yes, it's to create a state where other mid-to-lower level Familias can't recklessly lay hands on us, even if we can't stop top Familias from doing something."
Fortunately, both of them positively received my idea, but
"...But I'm worried that you might be thinking too positively. There's a possibility that the other party might not accept the deal, right?"
"It's true that the knowledge you have is great, but..."
Everything mentioned so far is just a possibility story.
"Ah, that?"
However,
"Here, this is some of what I've thought of in advance. First, take a look, and then let's discuss again what to do."
Originally, in a deal, you prepare items that the other party can't refuse and then make the deal.
"This is..."
"Wow... there probably isn't a Familia... no, a god who would refuse this."