Ren Isana thought rapidly for a brief moment, and a modification plan instantly formed in his mind. In truth, he only needed to make a few tweaks to the mark on his hand.
"I've got it, give me a second!" Ren announced, coming to a sudden halt. Hearing his words, the others froze and turned their gazes toward him.
*He figured it out that fast? Is he joking?* Just as the thought crossed their minds, they watched Ren raise his right hand.
The mark on his hand materialized as he injected Magic Power into it. Under everyone's watchful eyes, several new intricate lines began to weave into the design. In an instant, the mark transformed.
"I just needed to add an extra connection. This way, everyone can use it just by injecting Magic Power." This concept was modeled after his method of opening spatial dimensions.
Pulling it off wasn't difficult at all. The mark now resembled a sophisticated badge, and the newly added magical circuits gave it an air of profound mystery.
Seeing this, Sora immediately reached out her hand toward Ren without a second thought. "Class Rep, help me update mine!"
Sora directly calling him "Class Rep" actually reflected the unspoken consensus of the majority of the class. It was just rarely said out loud. Now, in her excitement, she blurted it out naturally.
Hearing Sora's new title for him, Ren rolled his eyes. "I'm not the Class Rep. Don't just make things up; the others might not agree to that."
Despite his grumbling, Ren began processing her mark. Adding two extra magical circuits was an incredibly simple task for him.
Watching Ren update her mark, Sora giggled and smiled brightly. "I'd like to see who dares to disagree! You're the universally recognized Class Rep. Isn't that right, everyone?"
Sora stared at the badge-like mark on her hand, her smile growing even more radiant. This was absolutely fantastic—now they could communicate with each other at any time.
Her words immediately earned the approval of the crowd. Everyone nodded in agreement with Sora's statement; not a single person had any objections.
From that moment on, the way these guys addressed Ren completely changed. They all started calling him "Class Rep." Even the teachers probably wouldn't have anything to say about it.
Ren felt a bit helpless, but he couldn't be bothered to argue with them over such trivial matters. After adding the communication function to everyone's marks, he instructed them, "Make sure to inject some Magic Power into it every few days. This thing needs to be 'charged,' otherwise it will dissipate."
The mark wasn't permanent. Without the support of Magic Power, it would likely fade away in three or four days. However, as long as they periodically supplied it with Magic Power, it could be maintained indefinitely.
"That's not a problem. But does this communication feature only work on an all-channel broadcast?" Asuna asked, looking at the mark on her hand with some confusion. It was true that they could talk now, but it seemed limited to a global chat.
Ren shook his head. Naturally, it wouldn't be that one-dimensional. If it could only do an all-channel broadcast, he wouldn't have bothered modifying it; he could have just used it as his personal megaphone.
"If you want to contact someone specifically, you just need to memorize their unique Magic Power signature. Then you can use it for private chats. The operation is actually quite simple."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately grew interested and began experimenting. Memorizing each other's Magic Power? Under Ren's guidance, they all eagerly gave it a try.
Everyone's memory was quite sharp. Memorizing the Magic Power signatures of the forty-plus people in the class was actually a breeze. By the time the group entered the bustling market district, everyone had already memorized them all.
Upon arriving at the market, the group reined in their playful banter and instantly fell silent. After all, being loud and rowdy was too embarrassing, and their large group had already become the center of attention the moment they stepped into the busy streets.
However, there were no "little mice" tailing them this time. The news of Ren and the others wiping out those thugs last night seemed to have spread, and it was likely that those scumbags were too terrified to show their faces now.
As the group made their way toward the Dungeon entrance, Ren suddenly stopped as they passed a shop selling gloves. "Let's all go buy a pair of gloves."
Saying that, Ren took the lead and walked inside. The others immediately understood his intention—buying gloves would conceal the glowing magic marks on their hands, making it more convenient and discreet when they needed to use them.
Understanding the logic, no one objected. After spending a little time, everyone had an extra pair of gloves on their hands. With these, they would also have a firmer grip when wielding their weapons.
With their purchases complete, Ren and the group continued on their way. As they passed by a shop named "Miach's Workshop," Ren stopped and walked inside.
At that moment, the only person in the shop was a drowsy, one-armed Chienthrope girl. Her hair was a messy bird's nest, making it look as though she hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages.
Hearing the sound of people entering, the girl's ears instantly perked up, and she suddenly looked wide awake. "Welcome to Miach's Workshop! What can I get for you?"
When she saw the massive crowd pouring in from outside, she was startled. *Are they here to smash the place up?* The Chienthrope girl immediately panicked.
"I need a batch of Antidote Potions. Do you have any in stock right now?" Ren asked, looking at the one-armed Chienthrope and directly stating his needs.
*This person seems to be named Naaza... Naaza Erislo,* Ren recalled. *She's a member of the Miach Familia, and Miach is supposedly a friend of Hestia's.*
Since they needed to buy medical supplies anyway, they might as well buy them here. After all, the quality was roughly the same everywhere.
"Y-Yes, we do! How many do you need?" Naaza asked, pleasantly surprised. She hurriedly stepped out from behind the counter to warmly greet Ren and the others.
The commotion in the shop also attracted the attention of the person in the back. A tall, blue-haired young man with squinted eyes, standing at about 185 centimeters, walked out from the back room.
He was quite surprised to see so many people in the shop. Seeing him, Naaza quickly said, "Lord Miach, we have customers!"
Hearing this, the young man named Miach couldn't help but ask, "Are you... members of Hestia's Familia?"
The moment he saw Ren's group, he immediately realized who they were. After all, the biggest news in Orario over the past two days was the sudden rise of the Hestia Familia. As one of Hestia's good friends, he hadn't even had the chance to visit her yet.
"That's right," Ren admitted openly. He was well aware that this man and Hestia were friends, so there was no need to hide it.
"Is Hestia doing well? What do you need? I'll give you a discount!" After confirming their identity, a bright, genuine smile bloomed on Miach's face. One look was enough to tell he was a classic good-natured person.
Hearing his words, the others also realized his identity. *This guy is a god too? He looks just like a noble young master. Are all the gods in this world like this?*
"Then we won't hold back. We need a batch of Antidote Potions, as well as some books regarding herbs and medicinal plants. If you have them, please gather them all for us at once," Ren stated his requests.
*This Miach is the God of Healing, right?* There were only a handful of potion shops in all of Orario. Without a divine title backing the business, no one would buy their potions.
That was why Ren suddenly asked to buy books on herbs. Hearing Ren's request, the male god Miach's eyes lit up, and he looked at Ren with a hint of surprise.
He readily agreed and, without another word, went to prepare the items Ren needed. The two of them proceeded to bring out their entire inventory of Antidote Potions.
Looking at the boxes of Antidote Potions neatly stacked in front of him in mere moments, Ren was left speechless. *Are these two so terrified of being poor that they're trying to strike it rich off me in one go?*
Ren couldn't help but complain internally. Just as he was about to say they didn't need that many, Miach handed over a thick book and said, "This is a book on medicinal herbs that I wrote myself. It also contains some of my personal experiences. I wonder if this will meet your needs?"
Looking at the book Miach handed over, the words Ren was about to say—that they didn't need so many potions—got caught in his throat. *He wrote it himself? In that case...*
"Please pack everything up for me!"
He didn't hesitate for a second. Even a single second of hesitation would be a disrespect to knowledge. Buying a few extra potions was fine; once distributed among the class, it wouldn't actually be that much per person anyway.
"Right away!" Naaza beamed with joy upon hearing Ren's words. They finally had a massive sale! Now they could finally pay off a portion of their crushing debts.
"Calculate the total price. Everyone, come pack up the potions and carry them," Ren instructed Naaza to tally the cost while telling his classmates to gather the goods.
After saying that, Ren directly took Miach's book and handed it to Asuna beside him, acting as if he was afraid the god might change his mind.
Receiving the book, Asuna understood Ren's intention. She smoothly took off her Spatial Backpack and stuffed the book inside.
Miach observed this entire exchange, but he didn't say anything. His face maintained that same smiling expression, and the corners of his mouth even curled up slightly, indicating he was in a very good mood.
Although they were practically forced to buy a massive amount of potions, the final cost wasn't actually that high. Compared to what Ren and the others spent yesterday, it was merely a drop in the bucket.
Once all the potions were accounted for, Ren and the others packed them into their backpacks, and Ren paid the bill. Receiving the money, Naaza excitedly ran off to the side to count it again.
"Well then, Mr. Miach, we'll be taking our leave. If you want to find Hestia, just go directly to our Familia's estate," Ren said to Miach before leading the group out.
"Take care, come again next time!" Miach nodded, making no move to stop them. He watched Ren and the others until they disappeared from sight before slowly withdrawing his gaze.
"What an incredible guy... Such enviable talent. Hestia really struck gold." Seeing Ren from such a close distance, how could he not notice the boy's formidable prowess?
Moreover, he had also noticed the aura surrounding this group of people—an aura that felt completely out of place in this world. If he wasn't mistaken, they were likely from another world.
He had also guessed the reason why the boy wanted books on herbs. It was simply to learn the knowledge of this world. Miach had no reason to refuse that.
After all, as the God of Healing and Arts, he was a deity who cared deeply for all living beings. If someone wanted to learn, he would never be stingy about teaching them.
The book he gave Ren was one he had written back in Heaven, though it was a hand-copied version. He had recorded all his knowledge regarding healing and pharmacology within its pages.
His current—and only—Familia member, Naaza, had become an outstanding Pharmacist precisely by relying on the knowledge contained in that very book.
"Lord Miach, is it really okay to give that to them?" Naaza asked, looking up at Miach while counting the money. She couldn't quite understand why Miach had just handed that precious book over to Ren.
"It's fine, Naaza. Don't worry, they won't come to steal our business," Miach said calmly. He knew exactly what Naaza was worried about.
After all... they were quite poor and drowning in debt. Naaza was worried that once the other party learned the trade, they might open their own potion shop, making their lives even more difficult.
Hearing Miach's incredibly confident words, Naaza thought for a moment and decided to trust her patron deity. Since Lord Miach said they wouldn't steal their business, then they definitely wouldn't.
"In the future, they might even become our important allies and supporters. We might not have to worry about selling our potions anymore," Miach said to Naaza with a smile.
Naaza's eyes lit up at those words. If that were true, it would be wonderful. But... allies? Would they really become allies with them?
After all, she was the only member left in the Miach Familia. Everyone else had converted and run away. The entire Familia was just one step away from bankruptcy—which would only happen if she died. Would anyone really be willing to ally with a Familia in such a state?
Naaza couldn't help but suspect that Miach was just teasing her. However, she didn't voice her doubts. If it was true, that would be fantastic; if not, she would just treat it as Miach making a joke.
Miach didn't explain further. Seeing Naaza go back to counting the money, he turned and headed back to the rear of the workshop to continue his work.
There were only two of them in the entire Familia, so even as the main deity, he couldn't afford to be idle. Since their potion stock had been cleared out, he needed to brew another batch.
"Wow, Ren... this book is a bit ridiculous. There are so many formulas in here," Asuna said, pulling out the book Miach had given them to flip through shortly after they walked away from the shop.
She could now read the language of this world, and just a brief glance revealed incredible contents. The value of this book was far beyond imagination.
"He is a generous god. Don't overthink it; we'll just make sure to buy things from his shop more often in the future," Ren replied. He naturally understood the immense value of the book. This meant they owed Miach a favor.
The others nodded in agreement upon hearing this. After a quick skim, Asuna handed the book back to Ren. "Here, you take it. I can't understand a lot of this stuff."
It was a headache. Even though she knew there were formulas and such inside, she couldn't comprehend the vast majority of the content.
Ren nodded and took the book from Asuna, casually flipping through it himself. It contained a massive amount of information on herbs and pharmacological knowledge.
As he flipped through the pages, Ren suddenly paused. Staring intently at the contents of the page he had landed on, he said in surprise, "What a truly generous god. There are actually introductions to [Healing Magic] recorded in here."
Saying this, Ren decisively began to memorize the information. Normally, people in this world needed a Grimoire to learn magic; it was impossible to comprehend a spell just by reading an introduction or description.
But what did that matter to Ren? With the magic recorded in the book Miach had given him, he could easily reverse-engineer it himself. After all, the book clearly detailed the composition and structure of those spells.
Combined with the knowledge he already possessed, recreating the various [Healing Magic] spells inside would be a walk in the park for him. Therefore, aside from being a pharmacology textbook, this was also a Grimoire for [Healing Magic]!
Hearing Ren's words, Asuna froze. She couldn't help but lean over to take a look, and she too saw the recorded contents—especially the descriptions of the [Healing Magic]. This left Asuna utterly astounded.
They had really hit the jackpot this time. That god was incredibly generous to essentially sell this magic book to Ren just like that. Did they pay too little? Should she go back and give him a few more gold nuggets?
While she was lost in thought, Ren finished recording the magical information and snapped the book shut. With a swift motion, the book vanished from his hands, safely stored away in his inventory.
Now wasn't the time to be reading anyway, because they had finally arrived at the Dungeon entrance. The group now stood in the middle of a loud, bustling plaza.