Orario, Northwest Main Street.
A very thin boy with white hair and red eyes stood before a table, looking nervous.
"Um... I want to apply to join a Familia."
"Hmm? Why did a kid come here?"
The god sitting behind the table looked up, sized up the white-haired boy in front of him, and asked.
"Have you received a blessing before?"
"No."
"Then do you have any combat experience or training history?"
"...No."
"Then you are unqualified."
The male god waved his hand, signaling the boy to leave.
"We are just a small Familia. We can't afford to nurture talent from scratch like the Loki Familia or Freya Familia. You should apply to another Familia."
"..."
Failed again.
Bidding the male god farewell, Bell sighed in disappointment.
This kind of experience was not his first.
Carrying the longing for a fated encounter in Orario, he had come from a rural mountain village to Orario, full of fighting spirit to find a Familia.
But from the very first Familia, he had been hitting walls.
Too young.
No combat experience.
No prior training.
Faced with Bell's application, the gods would always reject him with the same reasons.
Occasionally, he would come across one or two Familias willing to take him in, but the gods' gazes were very strange, making him feel afraid.
After arriving in Orario, the big brother guarding the city gate had told him that the most important thing in choosing a Familia was the god's personality.
Because he felt uncomfortable, Bell had rejected those few gods who were willing to recruit him.
"Am I doing something wrong?"
Looking at the bright sun in the sky, Bell began to doubt whether his approach was correct.
He had been in Orario for a month, and the money he brought with him had run out not long ago.
If he hadn't frequently met kind people who helped him, he might have already starved to death on the roadside.
Instead of chasing dreams, what he should do now was find a job and earn money to survive.
However...
"Let's try one more time."
Recalling that soul-stirring War Game when he first arrived in Orario, Bell gathered his motivation.
While he didn't think he could be like that captain of the Hestia Familia, suppressing an entire Familia by himself.
But after watching that War Game, Bell realized that what his grandfather said was true: Orario was a place where heroes and encounters gathered.
As long as he could join a Familia and receive a blessing, he would also have the chance to become as powerful as that person.
"Speaking of which, that big sister yesterday said the Soma Familia was recruiting restaurant staff. As long as you have good character and are willing to work hard, you can join the Familia and receive a blessing."
Recalling the news he heard from a kind person yesterday, Bell walked toward the next street.
...
Because they had become subordinate gods, the bases of the Soma Familia and the Hestia Familia were in the same place.
By the time Bell had gotten directions from several kind people and found the Soma Familia base, night had already fallen.
Standing at the entrance of the courtyard, Bell looked left and right, not knowing which way to go for a moment.
"Hmm? You over there, what are you doing?"
Just then, Aisha happened to pass by.
Noticing Bell swaying back and forth at the entrance, her eyes lit up and she approached him.
Although he wasn't her usual type, changing flavors once in a while was also a good choice.
"I... I'm here to apply to join the Familia."
Faced with Aisha's fiery gaze and bold clothing style, Bell became a bit nervous: "Excuse me, big sister, are you a member of the Soma Familia?"
Aisha nodded: "That's right, I'm from the Soma Familia. Currently... I suppose I'm the vice-captain."
Although she had only joined the Soma Familia yesterday, Aisha's situation was quite special.
As the person in charge of the prostitute industry, she had to manage the members of the former Ishtar Familia, and she had many subordinates.
For ease of management, Lynn had directly promoted her to the vice-captain of the Soma Familia.
"I'm Aisha. Little brother, what's your name?"
"...Bell."
"Bell, it's getting late. Are you interested in coming with me... Cough, sorry, occupational habit."
Midway through her sentence, Aisha suddenly remembered she wasn't in the Ishtar Familia anymore: "Let's try that again. Bell, you're here to apply to join the Soma Familia, right?"
Bell nodded: "I heard the Soma Familia is recruiting restaurant staff. I want to work in the restaurant to receive a blessing, and then go to the Dungeon to fight monsters and get stronger."
"Oh? You're quite blunt. Ordinary people applying to join a Familia wouldn't dare say that."
Aisha sized Bell up thoughtfully.
Regarding the recruitment standards of the Soma Familia, she had heard Lynn mention them before.
In fact, the Amazons of the Ishtar Familia also had to undergo a review before joining the Soma Familia.
However, their situation was relatively good; aside from their love for men, they didn't have the habit of harming their partners, so they all passed the test.
As for Bell...
"Seeing your dazed look, the probability of passing the test is actually quite high."
"However, I advise you to prepare yourself mentally. Working in a restaurant doesn't leave much time for the Dungeon."
"No problem! I can go monster hunting in the Dungeon during my breaks. As long as I can obtain a blessing, that's all that matters!"
Hearing Aisha say he could join the Familia, Bell instantly became excited.
Working too long and having no time for the Dungeon? In Bell's eyes, this was not a problem!
As long as he could join the Familia and receive a blessing, for him, that counted as success.
As for the remaining issues, he could figure out ways to solve them slowly after starting the official job.
"Since you accept, then come with me. I'll take you to the backyard to meet God Soma."
Seeing that Bell had no objections, Aisha beckoned to him and walked toward the depths of the courtyard.
After a while, the two arrived in front of Soma's room.
"God Soma, someone wishes to join the Familia."
Aisha raised her hand and knocked twice, announcing her purpose.
"Come in."
Soma's voice came from inside the room.
Receiving the affirmative reply, Aisha directly pushed the door open and walked in.
"Eh? Lynn, you're here too!"
"Mhm, I'm currently discussing the research and development of the new divine liquor with God Soma. Having more varieties of divine liquor in the restaurant also benefits customer choice."
Lynn replied, looking toward the somewhat familiar figure behind Aisha: "You must be the newcomer applying to join the Soma Familia?"
"Y-Yes!"
Unexpectedly meeting Lynn here, Bell, who had previously targeted him, became somewhat nervous.
"Hello! Mr. Lynn, I am Bell Cranel, and I wish to apply to join the Soma Familia!"
"No problem, you pass."
"Eh?" Bell was stunned: "You don't need to ask questions or test me?"
Lynn: "No need. Your eyes are as clear as a recent college graduate; you can tell immediately you're not a bad person."
Bell: "?"
What is a college graduate?
Bell scratched his head, always feeling that Lynn's words didn't sound quite like a compliment.
"God Soma, give him the blessing."
Lynn looked toward the deity beside him: "I'm quite curious about Bell's blessing. Show it to me after you transcribe it."
"Alright."
Soma nodded slightly.
Although he didn't know why Lynn was giving Bell preferential treatment, he wasn't one to ask too many questions.
He signaled Bell to take off his clothes and sit on the stool, then squeezed out a drop of blood to begin inscribing the blessing.
A moment later, Bell's status sheet was placed before Lynn.
[Bell Cranel — LV1]
[Strength: I0]
[Endurance: I0]
[Agility: I0]
[Dexterity: I0]
[Magic: I0]
[Magic: None]
[Skill: None]
"Um... how are my stats?"
Bell asked nervously.
"Oh, how should I put this..."
Lynn handed the paper over: "It's been a long time since I've seen such a clean panel. It's quite nostalgic."
Bell: QVQ
Looking at the empty paper before him, Bell felt inexplicably disappointed.
Having been in Orario for this long, he had some understanding of the blessing panel.
According to what those low-level adventurers said, having a few skills and magic upon obtaining a blessing greatly determined how far one could go in the future.
Having neither a skill nor magic meant this was the worst-case scenario, a standard mob panel.
"Bell, there's no need to be so dejected."
Just then, Lynn's voice rang out.
"Skills and magic aren't set in stone. You can still awaken them through acquired effort."
"For example, when I first joined the Familia and received my blessing, I also had neither a skill nor magic."
"Eh? Mr. Lynn did too?!"
Bell's eyes widened in surprise.
Not just him, but Aisha and Soma beside him also cast surprised glances at him.
As the center of the world, countless famous heroes had emerged in Orario, and it wasn't uncommon for the strong to rise from obscurity.
But those people mostly underwent transformation after LV2, becoming stronger step by step.
As for someone like Lynn who possessed super-standard combat power at LV1, there wasn't a single one that could be recalled.
"I have no reason to lie about something like this."
Lynn looked toward Soma: "If you don't believe me, you can ask God Soma if what I'm saying is true."
Soma nodded slightly: "It's all true."
A deity could discern whether a mortal was lying.
Although the content Lynn spoke of was somewhat shocking, he could confirm Lynn was not deceiving anyone.
"Mr. Lynn is amazing!"
Receiving Soma's confirmation, Bell looked at Lynn with adoration: "You didn't have a single skill or magic, so how did you become so strong?"
"Persistence and effort."
Lynn raised one finger: "Before receiving my blessing, I did 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats every day, and I persisted in completing a 10-kilometer run."
Bell: "Amazing!"
Aisha: "..."
Although being able to do all that before receiving a blessing was impressive, this was just basic physical training.
Looking at the starry-eyed Bell before her, Aisha hesitated but ultimately refrained from making a sarcastic remark.
As a high-tier adventurer, she understood better than ordinary people what having no skills or magic represented.
The prodigies of the Loki Familia were ultimately exceptions.
It was very difficult for ordinary people without skills or magic to achieve great deeds and break through to LV2 or LV3.
If Lynn's words could make Bell persevere, then it was a good thing for him.
"Oh, right, Bell."
On the other side, Lynn, who was chatting with Bell, suddenly spoke as if remembering something.
"If you want to become as strong as me, I have a good opportunity here. Do you want to try it?"
"I do!"
"It's very dangerous. Even if you have to teeter on the edge of death every day, do you still want to try?"
"Yes."
Bell did not hesitate.
After hearing Lynn's growth story (?), he realized that ordinary people needed to put in effort to become strong.
"Mr. Lynn, please!"
"I want to become as strong as you!"
"No problem."
A smile appeared on Lynn's face: "Since you put it that way, I'll take you to see the world tomorrow."
...