Three days had passed since Clones 1 and 3 joined the Loki Familia. I got in touch with them, and they seemed to be doing well. The only real issue was the limited amount of time they were allowed to hunt each day.
They had been assigned to a group and were now hunting alongside three other people. Just NPCs—nothing important. The clones didn't seem very happy about it since they had to "share" the EXP.
They always tried to land the finishing blow so I would get the EXP, but they didn't always manage it.
It's a pain that I only gain EXP when one of my clones deals the final hit. If they're fighting a large, powerful monster, I'll only receive the EXP if one of them delivers the finishing blow.
Well, they say they're stronger than the other members of their group, so it should be fine.
In fact, it caused quite a commotion.
The clones were supposed to be Level 1 adventurers, but they're far too strong for the upper floors. The falna doesn't affect their stats—their stats are identical to mine.
The "normal" members of their group were shocked, but they were also happy to be in such a strong party. They're "rookies" too, just like my clones. In other words, even if it's a group of NPCs, it's an acceptable one.
I asked my clones about Tiona and Ais's group—the ones who had met me before—but they said they hadn't had the chance to talk to them. The only person they saw was Ais, who ignored both of them.
'That's typical of her.'
With a sigh, I stood up from the table and took the dirty dishes to the sink.
"Should I head to the dungeon and have a little fun?"
Name: Zane
Level: 13 ( EXP: 173,005 / 340,000 )
Since Clones 1 and 3 haven't been hunting that much, the pace has slowed down, but I still managed to level up over the last three days. I need to start focusing more on my own hunting.
I can't leave everything to the clones.
To be honest, hunting is becoming pretty fun.
My magic skills have leveled up quite a bit, so I've been focusing on using them. Moving my cup and using my knife is fun and all, but it's every human's dream to use magic, isn't it?
I can already use all of them very well.
Water, earth, and wind magic have reached Level 5, and fire magic is already at Level 7.
The attack power of my fire magic is extremely high, which makes me feel confident about going to deeper floors.
This time, without wearing a cloak, I left my house and headed toward the dungeon. As I walked, I took another look at my status and then closed it. There wasn't much to see.
I just have a few points to distribute.
The only thing I really have to take advantage of right now is the shop.
I have plenty of magic stones to convert into points.
'I'll do that when I reach the dungeon.'
I kept walking, and when I got closer to the dungeon, I saw someone I didn't expect. It was a short, busty girl wearing very revealing clothes. Beside her stood a slightly taller woman with silver hair.
'What an interesting change.'
It was the goddess Hestia and Bella. That change really looked strange.
In the original story, Hestia was very fond of Bell… Is their relationship the same in this world? Do they have some kind of "yuri" relationship or something?
'No… Looking at them, they just seem like very close friends.'
I stepped a little closer.
"I told you to be careful, didn't I!? You could have died." I noticed several injuries on Bella's body.
"I'm sorry, Goddess. I went too far."
"Hmph!"
She was being scolded for taking too many risks.
'Well, when I met Bella before, she was on a "deep" floor, but she seemed strong enough to be there. Did she try to go even deeper?'
"What are you looking at?" Hestia suddenly turned toward me.
"It's nothing. Sorry."
"Hmmm… You… Are you part of a Familia?" she asked.
"Hey, Goddess!" Bella tried to stop her. "Don't go around asking that to just anyone."
"No, I'm not part of a Familia," I replied. "I'm currently looking for one."
What am I doing?
####
When Hestia heard my words, she gave a wide smile and asked, "How about joining my Familia?" She extended her hand. She was so direct that it was almost hard to believe.
"Goddess, you're being too impulsive. Please control yourself!" Bella said.
"It's fine. He doesn't seem bothered. So, what's your name?"
"My name is Zane," I said.
When she heard my name, Bella finally remembered that she had met me before. Her eyes widened, and she said, "Wait, you. Didn't I see you inside the dungeon before? What do you mean you don't have a Familia?"
She was suspicious of me, and I replied, "I don't have one anymore."
"You left your Familia?" Bella was shocked. It's not that easy to leave a Familia. A god can even keep you in their Familia by force if they want to. It's complicated…
"Something like that."
"So you don't have a Familia at the moment, right? Great! Then what do you think about my offer?"
"Goddess, you don't even know which Familia he used to belong to. You need to be careful."
"Be quiet for just a second, Bella!"
"..." Bella groaned and stepped back.
I looked at Hestia. Her eyes were shining with expectation.
Now that I've already said I'm looking for a Familia, should I accept her offer?
I don't think it's a bad idea to join a Familia, but I'm not sure it's a good idea either.
Right now, I'm hiding my clone ability. If I join a Familia, there's a high chance it could be discovered.
'But honestly, I want to experience what it's like to have a falna. I want to see if obtaining one will help me evolve faster. What if I make Hestia an offer?'
"I'll join your Familia, but on one condition."
"Hm?"
"I really enjoy exploring the dungeon, so don't interfere with that. I'll be spending hours inside the dungeon every day."
"Well, that's an adventurer's job."
"And the second condition is this: if I ask to leave the Familia, you must allow it."
"That is…"
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/Zhangye