The Demeter Familia's home was not in Orario's bustling central district, but out beyond the city walls, on a vast, quiet farm.
Tall windmills turned slowly. Neat rows of fields stretched into the distance. The air carried the fresh scent of soil and green life, nothing like the noise and tension of the adventurer quarter inside the city.
Their main building was a large, rustic house of wood and stone, warm and pastoral.
Inside Demeter's private room, simply furnished and faintly scented with flowers and herbs, the rite began.
It was far simpler than Genichi had expected.
Demeter motioned for him to remove his shirt and bare his back.
She pricked her slender, pale finger, then used her divine blood to trace gentle, steady lines across his skin.
The moment her fingertip touched him, an indescribable heat surged through him, as if it went straight down into his soul.
Genichi could clearly feel it. The energy within him, the imprint of his spirit, even deeper layers he could not name, were being sensed, recorded, and pulled into shape by laws that surpassed the mortal world.
A moment later, the light folded back into itself.
Demeter withdrew her hand, smiling with a quiet satisfaction. "All right. Your falna has been carved. Now let's see what kind of possibilities you've gained."
As she spoke, she placed a sheet of parchment lightly against Genichi's back, over the fresh sacred script.
Lines of writing began to appear on the parchment, one after another, as if pulled up from his skin.
Demeter's gaze followed the forming letters. At first, it held her usual warmth and expectation, but then her eyes changed.
Her amber pupils tightened. Her lashes trembled. Her lips parted slightly in surprise. The composed gentleness on her face was replaced by a growing, unmistakable shock.
She stared down at the parchment, then looked up at Genichi's expressionless face, her gaze turning complicated, as if she had only now realized who, exactly, she had accepted on a moment of softness.
"This is…" Demeter murmured, awe thick in her voice. "I think I just picked up an unbelievable trump card."
She took a careful breath, as if steadying herself, then used a special magical technique to copy Genichi's status onto an ordinary sheet of paper and handed it to him.
"Here. This is your starting status. Take a look."
Genichi accepted it, eyes falling to the page.
[Genichi]
LV.1
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Magic: [][][]
Development Abilities: Mystery I, Magecraft I
And then came the Skills section. That was the part that shook Demeter, and made Genichi's mind erupt into storm waves.
[Devour]
Devour souls to increase your own abilities.
[Devil]
Magic growth greatly increased; other stats slightly increased; reduced magic consumption.
[Seven Deadly Sins]
Wrath: Reflect several times the damage you receive. The angrier you are, the higher the multiplier.
Envy: Damage dealt increases. Damage dealt cannot be healed.
Greed: Plunder a portion of the slain target's power.
Sloth: Recovery ability increases.
Lust: Can control targets or monsters that have lost the ability to resist.
Gluttony: By consuming blood, you can gain part of the target's Skills or magic.
Pride: In daytime, gain high bonuses to Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, and Agility. At night, gain a high bonus to Magic.
[Dragon Eater]
Greatly increased effectiveness against dragon-type targets.
Dragonification: Transform into a red dragon. In dragon form, all stats receive extreme bonuses.
[Ascend to Godhood]
Possibility of becoming a god.
Greatly increased growth.
Greatly increased learning ability.
Grants Mystery and Magecraft.
After reading a status sheet that could only be described as monstrous, Genichi finally understood why even a goddess like Demeter had looked so stunned.
This was not the status a normal adventurer should have.
This was an existence bordering on a cheat, stacked with "predatory growth," "multiple buffs," "concept-level Skills," and "divine potential."
If he did not die along the way, if he grew smoothly, his future ceiling was almost impossible to imagine.
Genichi fell silent.
What this falna revealed was not merely his potential. It had dragged the most essential, most dangerous, and most powerful part of him into the light, and laid it out in cold data.
It was both a staircase to the peak of power and a warning sign that he was abnormal.
He stared at the page for a long time, as if he meant to carve every word into memory.
Beside him, Demeter finally came back from her shock. She watched him in silence, her gaze still complicated, but that initial warmth had not vanished. If anything, it had gained an extra layer, something like responsibility.
Or perhaps it was simply the awareness that she had picked up something far bigger than expected.
She raised a slender finger, tapping her chin as she thought, then said to him, "Your potential is extraordinary. But you have one clear weakness right now."
Genichi lifted his head to meet her eyes.
"Magic," Demeter said. "Your magic slots are empty. You haven't awakened any spells. Without that, your Magic stat won't increase effectively through normal combat or meditation. It will severely limit you later. After all, the magic growth bonus from [Devil] and the boost you carry from your higher nature still needs a base Magic value to support it."
She paused. A playful glint appeared in her green eyes, and her smile returned, maternal and gentle, yet teasing. "But, you know, if you ask me nicely, I might be able to get you a grimoire. Even if my Familia isn't combat-focused, we've been running things for a long time. We do have some resources."
She was waiting for his reaction, perhaps curious whether this unnervingly calm boy would show something more human: eagerness, desperation, pleading.
Genichi looked at Demeter. His black eyes remained still, without ripples.
He understood her hint, and he understood how valuable a grimoire was.
He did not immediately beg. He only held her gaze for a few seconds, then slowly shook his head, very slightly, before lowering his eyes back to the status sheet in his hands.
The meaning was obvious. He did not intend to keep taking from her.
"Such an un-cute child," Demeter complained softly, but there was no real anger in her voice, only helpless amusement.
"Fine, fine." She waved a hand, no longer teasing. "I'm your goddess, aren't I? Even if you won't say anything sweet, I can't very well shortchange you of what you need."
She turned to the shelf in the corner. Among books on agriculture, plant guides, and ledgers, she searched for a while, then returned with a thick, antique-looking volume, its cover made from tanned beast hide, edged in dull silver, about as thick as a dictionary.
"Here." Demeter offered it to Genichi, her smile warm. "A grimoire. Take it, and see what you can awaken from it."
Genichi accepted the heavy book. He lifted his eyes to Demeter again, and this time his gaze carried genuine gravity.
"Lady Demeter, thank you."
The gratitude sounded more sincere than anything he had said before.
Demeter smiled and nodded. "Mm. Find someplace quiet. Focus while you read and feel it. Awakening magic takes time and the right moment, so don't rush. Once you awaken a spell, then you can start planning how to raise your abilities properly. The farm has plenty of empty rooms. Pick one to stay in. Food and daily necessities are provided by the Familia."
"Yes. I understand."
Grimoire in hand, Genichi's decision was already set.
He had his falna. The terrifying status was real. And now he held the key to magic as well.
Next, he would digest this gift, awaken magic, and then…
Starting from this pastoral farm, he would begin his truly ravenous journey of plunder and growth in the world of the Dungeon.
He would no longer be a lost wanderer helpless in the labyrinth.
He would become a predator slipping into the abyss, ready to devour everything.
(End of Chapter)
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