Asuna rolled her eyes at Hestia before turning to look at Ren Isana. Seeing the anticipation in his eyes left her utterly speechless. *Sure enough, all men are exactly the same!*
"Hestia-san, do you even hear what you're saying?" Asuna retorted in exasperation. Her words finally snapped the Goddess out of her daze.
Because she had been in such a rush, she had completely forgotten Ren Isana was still in the room. Hestia coughed awkwardly a few times and hurriedly apologized. "I almost forgot Ren Isana was here! Ren Isana, you go first. I'll grant you my Falna. With this, you can grow stronger by accumulating Excelia!"
"I've been meaning to ask, could you explain exactly what this Falna is?" Asuna still had a lot of doubts. Since Hestia was offering it, she decided to just ask directly.
Ren Isana wasn't in a hurry. He waited for the Goddess to explain so he could play along. After all, Asuna needed to understand the power system of that other world.
"The God's Grace, or Falna, is the core source of power that gods bestow upon their Familia members. With it, you can grow rapidly inside the Dungeon," Hestia explained briefly.
After hearing her explanation, Ren Isana added, "Basically, it's like giving you the power to grind monsters and level up."
Asuna's eyes lit up in sudden realization. *So that's how it is! If that's the case, this is actually amazing.* The thought of grinding monsters to level up sounded fantastic.
"If it really is as convenient as leveling up in a game, then I don't see any reason to refuse," Asuna concluded after grasping the situation.
She couldn't find a single excuse to decline, especially since the school would eventually send them to another world for combat experience anyway—to a real Dungeon!
"Right? Right?! So let me give you my Blessing now, I can't wait any longer!" Hestia just wanted to lock Ren Isana down as soon as possible.
She needed to fiercely stamp her mark on him and make him a member of her Familia. Only then could she rest easy. Otherwise, if other gods saw Ren Isana, they would definitely try to poach him.
She refused to let the person she had her eye on be stolen away. Besides, the heavens had sent her to this world and led her straight to Ren Isana. Wasn't this the heavens gifting her the best possible Familia Captain?
"Alright, how do you need me to cooperate? Take off my shirt, right?" Ren Isana said as he took off his jacket, followed by his shirt, putting his perfect eight-pack abs on full display.
Asuna took one look, wasn't sure what she saw, took another look, and then quickly averted her gaze, muttering, "Honestly, there are other people here, you know. You're way too fast!"
Despite turning her head away, Asuna still stole a few glances. Just as men liked looking at oppai, girls liked looking at abs.
Especially a man's abs—it was exactly the same principle. She was just a bit more reserved and didn't dare stare openly.
If their roles were reversed, Ren Isana would definitely stare openly. Don't ask why; the answer was simply that he liked it. No boy could ever say no to snow-white oppai.
Hestia couldn't help but sneak a few extra glances herself, though she was currently much more interested in carving her Blessing onto Ren Isana. She patted the sofa and stood up. "Hurry up and lie down, I'll put it on you!"
Ren Isana nodded without another word and lay face down on the sofa. Hestia then channeled her Divine Power, forcing out a single drop of golden divine blood.
Seeing this, Asuna's gaze was instantly drawn over. Ren Isana was similarly captivated by the aura. *This is Divinity... The blood is brimming with Divinity.*
Feeling this Divinity, Ren Isana fell into deep thought. *Could I directly acquire Divinity by copying bloodlines?*
However... compared to becoming a god, Ren Isana felt that becoming a God Slayer sounded much more appealing. Hestia had mentioned earlier that she had encountered God Slayers.
How could becoming a god ever be as thrilling as being a God Slayer? After all, to a God Slayer, gods were nothing more than prey. Because of this realization, the temptation of godhood had weakened significantly for him.
Still, research was research. As Hestia let the golden divine blood drip onto Ren Isana's back, he kept his perception fully active, taking in every detail.
The next moment, divine text began to surface on his back. Ordinary people couldn't comprehend these symbols, as they were the language of the gods.
But it couldn't stump Ren Isana. With the help of his overpowered talent, it didn't take long for him to decipher the text and understand its pronunciation. In an instant, Ren Isana had mastered the language.
Level: Lv.4 Talent: ? Development Abilities: ? Martial Arts: [Omni-Weapon Mastery] Magic: [Levitation Spell], [Piercing Magic Bullet], [Protection Magic], [Healing Magic], [Perception Magic], [Flight Magic]
Ren Isana felt a bit strange when he read the text. *Why is it different from what I know? Is it really this bare-bones?*
His talent wasn't displayed, nor were his development abilities. It only showed his magic, and for martial arts, it just lumped everything into [Omni-Weapon Mastery].
"Huh? Why does the Status look like this? Could it be because we're in a different world?" Hestia was clearly stunned as well.
It was far too simple. However, upon seeing Ren Isana's long list of magic, she instantly became overjoyed. After all, in Orario, magic was incredibly expensive.
Yet people in this world could learn magic on their own. Magic in Orario had strict limits, but there were no such restrictions here.
*Maybe that's why the Status panels between the two worlds are different?* Hestia was full of doubts, but her heart was soaring with happiness.
Because Ren Isana was finally hers. She stopped caring about whether the Status was weird and just wore a goofy smile. This brilliant soul had finally become her Familia member.
"Are you done?" Ren Isana couldn't help but ask when he saw Hestia grinning like an idiot. His words successfully snapped her back to reality.
"Ah... please wait a moment. Do you have any paper? If you do, I can trace the Status on your back for you," Hestia hurriedly asked.
"No need, just read it out loud," Ren Isana shook his head. There was no need to make a rubbing of it; reading it aloud was fine. It wasn't a big deal.
"Okay, I'll read it to you." Hestia then recited Ren Isana's Status panel, which also helped Asuna understand what this whole thing was about.
"But... I don't know why your Status is different from the ones in Orario. It's probably because of the world?" Hestia wasn't entirely sure. After saying this, she looked at Asuna.
Next, they just needed to see if Asuna's Status looked the same. If it did, then it really was because of the world!
"Maybe. Go to my room and do Asuna's. Let's see if her Status is like this too." Ren Isana sat up, put his shirt back on, and told Hestia to attend to Asuna.
Hearing Ren Isana's suggestion, Hestia nodded. She glanced at Asuna, who had been secretly admiring Ren Isana's abs. Noticing Hestia's gaze, Asuna coughed awkwardly and said, "Then I'll borrow your room for a bit."
With that, Asuna hurriedly made her way to Ren Isana's room. Hestia quickly followed, and the two went inside together.
This was Asuna's first time in Ren Isana's room. There were no weird smells, and the room was very tidy, devoid of any unnecessary clutter.
"Come on, take off your top and lie down. I'll get it done for you," Hestia urged Asuna, wanting her to hurry. She was eager to see if Asuna's Status matched Ren Isana's.
Asuna nodded and quickly got to work. However, when she lay face down on Ren Isana's bed, her face flushed red.
She had almost forgotten this was Ren Isana's room until she smelled his scent on the bed. It was quite an embarrassing situation, but thankfully, Hestia worked fast.
She swiftly applied the God's Grace. Hestia confirmed her theory—it really was because of the world, not just a special case with Ren Isana.
However, Asuna's talent and other details were fully displayed. Unlike Ren Isana, whose talent and development abilities were just question marks, Asuna's Status was complete.
Level: Lv.3 Talent: [Flash Sword Domain] Development Abilities: Swordsman Martial Arts: [Close Combat], [Rapier Mastery] Magic: [Levitation Spell], [Magic Bullet]
Hestia nodded in satisfaction upon seeing Asuna's Status. Although it couldn't compare to Ren Isana's luxurious panel, her future was incredibly promising.
She read Asuna's stats out loud. Hearing Hestia's words, Asuna sat up, straightened her clothes, and began to complain, "Compared to Ren Isana, I'm just a bare-bones alt account..."
Now that everything was quantified into data, wasn't her current state exactly like a blank alt account? Her skills were pitifully few, which was honestly a bit disappointing.
"It's fine! This is already way better than the people in our world. Even though I just descended to the lower world, I've heard from some repatriated gods that many people start at Lv.1. Your levels are much higher than theirs," Hestia said dismissively.
After all, skills could be learned. What truly mattered was the level. Tier 3 in this world corresponded to Lv.3 in hers.
This was incredibly exciting. When the time came, she would directly bring back a bunch of high-level adventurers... Just thinking about it made her thrilled. With so many strong people, maybe the Familia she created could instantly become a powerful force in Orario?
"Is that so? I guess that's not too bad. But the rest of our classmates probably have Status panels similar to mine. And my talent... is called that?" This was the first time Asuna had heard the explicit name of her talent.
Previously, she only had a vague understanding of what her talent did; it didn't actually have a specific name. But now, thanks to Hestia, her talent's name had manifested.
"It's a great talent, isn't it? Plus, your development path has appeared. When you level up, you can fully commit to the Swordsman route!" This was the optimal choice and the most suitable direction for Asuna.
Listening to Hestia, Asuna nodded. That did make sense. Still, if possible, she wanted to learn more magic.
She wondered if this Status panel would make it easier for her to master more magic in the future. The thought made Asuna look forward to it. And then there was the part about growing stronger by killing monsters.
*If that works, I should be able to catch up to Ren Isana, right?* Thinking this, Asuna couldn't help but ask, "Hestia-san, is there a specific indicator for growing stronger by killing monsters? Like an EXP bar or something?"
Hestia blinked, looking at Asuna's Status with a hesitant expression. "Um... I don't know either. After all, your Status panels are completely different from what I'm used to..."
She genuinely didn't know. This was her first time taking in Familia members, and the Status panels in this world defied everything she knew, so she was clueless.
Asuna felt completely deadpan. *I see... Never mind then. I'll just figure it out slowly later. I should still be able to level up through combat, right? If not, this thing is useless.*
With these thoughts in mind, Asuna walked out of Ren Isana's room. Seeing Ren Isana sitting on the sofa deep in thought, she walked over and said, "All done!"
Ren Isana nodded and said, "This Status thing feels a bit weird. It seems kind of useless? Have you felt any changes in your body?"
Ren Isana had been constantly monitoring his physical condition. Using Yukino's talent, he continuously explored his body's state, only to find that the drop of divine blood had merged with him, but his body hadn't changed in the slightest.
"I don't think there are any changes. Do you think it lost its effect because we're in a different world?" Asuna was taken aback by his question, realizing she hadn't felt any physical changes either.
The two exchanged a look, both silently criticizing the whole process in their heads. Hestia, who had just walked out, overheard their conversation. *They're doubting my usefulness!*
"It doesn't work that fast! You haven't even fought yet, how could you feel any changes? You should be able to feel it once you start fighting and training. That was my divine blood, you know! Divine blood!" Hestia puffed her cheeks, glaring at the two of them.
*How dare they suspect the Blessing I gave them is useless?* Even if the world's rules were different, she had used her divine blood. How could it be useless? Were these two questioning the power of a god?
"Divine blood... I guess you're right. Divine blood is precious no matter where you go," Asuna nodded thoughtfully. That logic held up.
The divine blood had now integrated into their bodies. No matter what, it should have some effect, much like a rare heavenly treasure. If they couldn't feel it now, it probably just hadn't activated yet.
"Divine blood... speaking of which, if we sold divine blood, it would probably be worth a lot of money, right? Hestia, do you think you could sell a little blood? I'm technically part of your Familia now, right? When we go to your world, developing the Familia will cost money, right? So..." Ren Isana trailed off, staring at Hestia with an eerie gleam in his eyes.
Being stared at by Ren Isana like that sent a chill down Hestia's spine. She panicked, stumbling back a few steps until she hit the wall, and asked nervously, "W-What... what are you trying to do?"
"I want to drain a little of your blood, sell it for gold, and then exchange it for your world's currency when we get there to fund the Familia. Hestia, you should make a little contribution for the sake of the Familia. You can't expect to drag us all there just to sleep under a bridge, right?" If Ren Isana were wearing glasses, he absolutely would have pushed them up the bridge of his nose right now.
But even without them, his words were enough to terrify Hestia out of her wits. In fact, she was starting to feel a deep sense of regret.
*Was I too hasty?* She had made this guy the Captain of her Familia, and before the Familia was even properly established, he was already plotting to drain her blood for cash...
Gods' lives matter too! Could he not say such horrifying things? Bleeding her for money—was he serious?! Hestia couldn't help but scream internally!!