[A/N: Before we began, let me give you a warning. This is a serious novel their's no R18 or smut and adult content here If you are here for this then this novel is not for you.
Now that out of way let me explain somethings Kael will have heram yes but it's not Pokémon type. Every girl in harem have emotional connection and feeling invested.
I have written outline of total of 12 arcs I will try to write all of it. If you can tolerate my mistakes as a newbie author. add it your library iIwill try my best to improve ]
Arc 1 — The Rookie's First Descent
Chapter 1: A Boy with No Place to Return To
Orario was built around a hole in the world.
In a literal sense. At the centre of the city rose a massive tower, and beneath it lay an endless abyss—the Dungeon.
Monsters are born inside.
Adventurers descend into it—some for treasure, some for fame, some for glory, some for quests.
But for someone like him—no skills, no family, and zero money—it was for survival.
And to obtain power to protect what he holds dear.
In front of the Dungeon entrance stood a boy.
Staring at the darkness in silence.
Hardening his resolve in preparation for his first descent.
His name is Kael Verdan.
Seventeen years old.
With ash-black hair and silver eyes, and a fairly handsome appearance—hidden carefully.
To appear ordinary.
A lesson learned through life.
As long as he can remember, he has had no parents. He doesn't remember their faces or voices.
Moving from place to place. Seeking shelter. Slums and borrowed roofs, with no place to return to or stay.
This is it. I must become powerful; only then can I protect her, he thought.
Kael tightened his grip on his cheap sword, given to him by Hestia.
Three days ago, he finally found a home to return to. A family to belong to. Being alone for most of his life,
He knows how precious it is to have someone waiting for your return.
Having seen the cold cruelty of the world, he carved power to protect the warmth of his family.
So even if he is afraid, he still steps forward and enters the Dungeon.
In this world, one doesn't become strong with simple will or training.
They need a Falna—a divine blessing bestowed by a god or goddess.
It turns a mortal soul into something that grows by recording life experience and turning one's influence on the world—legend—into fuel for the awakening of skills and magic.
Without one, the Dungeon doesn't care how brave or resourceful you are.
Only death lies ahead.
Having listened to the preaching of priests—for free food—he is familiar with the mythology of the gods.
Gods who are omnipotent and omniscient in heaven become bored with eternal life and decide to descend to the mortal world in search of something interesting, while sealing all of their power to experience mortal life.
They only retain the ability to bestow divine blessings, which unlock the potential of mortals.
Thus, gods establish Familias with mortals who receive their Falna.
[KAEL'S POV ]
One day after completing my work at the weapon shop, I was heading towards a cheap tavern.
So it's time they are retaining huh!
Looking at the obviously increasing number of merchants on the main road of the bustling city of Karuna
I thought to myself.
Karuna is a special transit city where merchants– especially from the empire– mostly choose to stay on their journey.
After all, this world isn't safe
Most of the monsters are locked inside the underground dungeon in the city of Orario.
There are still many monsters that remain in the surface world during the age of heroes before the gods descend on the lower realm.
After years of cleaning, they weren't wiped out; instead, they chose to multiply with beasts, which is why the strength of monsters on the surface is often far lower than their dungeon counterparts.
The heavy oak door yielded with a low, rhythmic groan of protesting iron.
Stepping inside, the tavern was a haze of firelight and noise, packed with travel-worn merchants and boisterous adventurers huddled over scarred wooden tables.
I made my way to a seat as a rough-edged waiter—a retired adventurer from the city of Orario, his face filled with scars —approached.
He set down a steaming bowl of the tavern's cheapest fare, though he'd applied a generous discount for a fellow regular.
"How was the shift at the weapon shop?" he asked, his voice a gravelly rumble.
"As usual"
I offered a brief reply, then turned my attention to the meal.
letting the low hum of gossip from the Orario merchants drift over me as I ate.
One of the merchants from Orario leaned in, his voice carrying over the rim of his mug as he spoke of a goddess who, despite being a divine, has to live in an abandoned church, whose condition is so bad that no adventurers are willing to join her Familia.
He mocked her poverty, laughing about how she was forced to hawk fried potato puffs at a street stall just to make ends meet.
"Goddess Hestia," he chuckled.
The name hit me like a physical blow. I froze, my spoon hovering halfway to my mouth.
To the world of Orario, she might have been a joke, but to me, she was Hestia—the Virgin Goddess of the Hearth. In the stories of priests.
She was Vesta, the guardian of the home and the patron of the family bond.
For a wanderer like me, who had spent every night longing for a place to truly belong, she was the one deity I had always offered my prayers to.
As I eat, hearing of her descent to the mortal realm, I make a difficult choice to embark on a journey to Orario.
Anyway not like I have any place to live here
Maybe, I mean Maybe if I joined her Familia, I would finally have a home and family.
Returning to my temporary shelter I began to pack my luggage
With a bag of simple clothes. Necessary survival equipment. Long-lasting food. A dagger on his right thigh, one hidden in his sleeve.
And all of my savings–1000 valis not much, enough to last several weeks
(In high consumption places like Orario it can only last several days bro's poverty limits his imagination)
[Third-person pov ]
It takes 1 to 2 weeks to reach Orario from the transit city of Karuna
Joining the caravan of merchants
Kael Verdan arrived in Orario in 2 weeks– As they have to stop at Alf Royal Forest to barter.
Without delay, he headed to the Adventurers' Guild, asking directions from guards stationed at the city entrance from the Ganesha Familia—wearing matching armour and elephant masks.
From the city entrance to the guild,
He constantly stared at adventurers passing by.
He had seen them before from time to time, but never so many races of elves, dwarves, and beastmen in one place.
After all, racial prejudice between different races is quite common, not to mention between the same race.
After asking the receptionist how to join Hestia Familia, he was given her location.
"Is this… Goddess Hestia's home?" he muttered hesitantly.
Looking at the run-down church with broken windows and fallen walls.
Honestly, he wondered if he had come to the wrong place.
No matter what, she was a goddess after all. It's difficult to imagine her living here.
Just then, a female voice spoke from behind—
"Hello."
He turned around.
Looking at the source of the voice, he found a girl.
She was beautiful and petite, with a youthful appearance.
Blue eyes. Black hair tied into twin-tails reaching down to her mid-thighs. Hair accessories shaped like blue-and-white petals.
She was short, yet her figure was so good that even a mature woman would be eclipsed.
"A… goddess? G-Goddess Hestia?" Kael asked.
For mortals, just by seeing one, they automatically know a god is standing before them.
After all, gods only seal their power—their existence still transcends the mortal world.
And this was the location given by the Guild.
"I am Hestia. For what purpose have you come to my house, little one?"
Little one? His mouth twitched.
What could he say? To gods who live for a million years, a seventeen-year-old is a child.
"Hello, Goddess Hestia. I am Kael Verdan. I came to Orario to join your Familia. Please accept me." Kael replied while bowing his head
"My Familia…?" Hestia was taken aback, then slowly became excited.
She had tried many times to recruit members.
But every time, interest turned into rejection.
After all, unlike other gods who arrived earlier and built their foundations, she had started late.
Plus, her divine power is sealed and she becomes mortal for the first time. It takes some time to get used to
Gods in the mortal world (aside from their power to bestow divine blessings) only retain their eternal life and ability to be pure and spotless from dust
"But don't you know I'm poor" Hestia asked while being excited yet confused
"I know "
"I don't have any members in Familia"
"I know "
"I can't even give you a future ", says Hestia in a lower voice.
Her head slowly lowered in a low mood. After having come down from the excitement of having finally got her first Familia.
" I know " Kael replied softly
"Then. Why did you want to join my Familia? Surely there are better ones who can bring you many benefits" asks Hestia in confusion while raising her head and looking at Kael
Kael look at her gently yet firmly. With his silver eyes glowing intensely with hope.
That comes from seeing light from boundless darkness.
"Because. What I want is a family so that I don't have to feel lonely. A home to return to, so I don't have to wander around… I just want a place to belong. Thats all"
Hestia went silence
Looking at his expression filled with hope and longing
The she smile gently and beautifully and asked
"…That's enough?"
"Y-Yesss" Kael replied loudly while looking at her excitedly
"Then from now on, you will be the first child of Hestia Familia. Please take care of me. Kael"
Sometimes later
In the underground basement that transforms into a bedroom
Kael lay down on his stomach without his upper garments
Hestia sat on his back. Explaining to Kael about Falna. While dropping divine blood from her finger onto Keal's back
"The back is a convenient, visible location for the glowing Falna mark to appear, serving as a permanent reminder of the blessing and the Familia they belong to. It's a direct physical link between the adventurer and their patron God, a tangible representation of their pact"
"I s–see. I don't expect it to have so many meaning " Kael replied
While trying to bury his face on the pillow to hide the embarrassment on his face
After all. It's the first tihas been he has been so close to a girl
Not to mention. She is a beautiful goddess