Despite Hestia's comforting words, Yoru didn't show much emotion in response. In this world brimming with adventure and opportunity, strength was supposed to be everything.
Anyone who formed a contract with a god and became a member of their Familia should naturally desire strength above all else. To be chosen by a deity—what reason could one possibly have not to strive to grow stronger?
But Yoru didn't feel that way at all. He lacked that intense desire for power, that burning will to become stronger.
Maybe… the drive to become strong is a desperate craving reserved for the weak. For those born strong, perhaps it's meaningless.
Was he born strong?
Yoru didn't know. He couldn't even explain his indifferent attitude toward danger, or why he was so detached about getting stronger.
As for the crystalline slab in Hestia's hands—it wasn't as cold as she made it sound. When Yoru held it, it felt like a gentle, refreshing coolness that seeped into his skin and eased his mind.
The slab was covered in characters he couldn't understand. Yoru stayed quiet, but Hestia peeked over curiously and patted his shoulder in comfort.
"Well… like I said, don't worry too much about it. It's only your first day as an adventurer."
"No… I just can't read it at all."
He replied honestly, making the corner of Hestia's mouth twitch.
"W-Well, not being able to read it is normal! This is only the beginning of your journey, after all. You'll get stronger in time!"
She patted him again reassuringly, though Yoru didn't seem particularly concerned.
While he couldn't read most of it, he could still make out some of the letters and numbers.
Like the first line—his name.
Yoru wasn't written in this world's script. Instead, it appeared in a bold, powerful font he was familiar with. He couldn't remember exactly what language it was, but it felt deeply nostalgic. He instinctively knew that those two characters represented his name.
Below that, he saw a clearly recognizable LV1.
Then came rows of values preceded by the letter I, each with only a pitiful score in the twenties. Only the last field displayed a question mark.
These must be my stats… And that question mark—is that my Magic stat?
Even though Hestia had said he possessed magic, he couldn't feel anything like that. Neither magic nor magical energy was something he could sense.
His Magic stat was marked with a "?", and while having magic sounded impressive, Yoru didn't understand any of it.
"So… what exactly is magic and magical energy, anyway?"
Muttering to himself, Yoru realized it was easier to just ask Hestia directly than to think himself into a corner.
"Hmm… well, magic used to be something only certain races had. But there are also legendary stories of people discovering magic without ever receiving a god's blessing."
"Though, those are hero tales. Who knows how true they are? Normally, people can have one, maybe two—at most three types of magic. That number is fixed. Most adventurers can only use one. But if someone could use two, they'd be considered a hero."
"For example, Wind Magic that can shred hundreds of enemies in seconds, or Flame Magic that no ordinary weapon can match."
"But Hestia, you still haven't told me what magic is, exactly."
"Uh… what magic is… that's hard to explain."
Faced with Yoru's curious gaze, Hestia averted her eyes a bit awkwardly.
"It's just… complicated to explain."
"So complicated that even you don't know?"
"That's not true! I just…"
Her cheeks turned red. Clearly, Yoru had hit a sore spot.
"I mean, if I had to explain it clearly, it'd be really tough. There are so many factors involved. And besides, even if I did explain it the way a god understands it, Yoru, you probably wouldn't get it anyway."
"I see…"
Yoru had been slightly looking forward to it, but seeing Hestia struggle, he decided to let it go.
No point trying to figure out something incomprehensible. For now, using his dagger in battle was good enough.
Though that assumed he actually encountered monsters…
Tomorrow… maybe I'll finally run into some Dungeon monsters?
According to Eina, he had just been incredibly lucky today—making it to the fifth floor unscathed. That kind of fluke shouldn't happen twice, right?
"Anyway, Yoru, the fact that you have magic is real. Even if you can't use it well yet or you feel confused, it's fine. You'll learn eventually. Your journey's only just begun—you've got a long future ahead of you."
Noticing Yoru deep in thought, Hestia once again patted his shoulder gently.
"I'm not really worried about that. I was just thinking…"
He trailed off, watching her squint at him with a sweet smile. In the end, Yoru chose not to say anything. Admitting he hadn't encountered a single monster today would be a little weird.
More importantly, he didn't want Hestia to find out he had gone all the way down to the fifth floor.
"Anyway, you should rest. You've been out all day—you must be exhausted."
He reached out to pat Hestia's head. He could see the faint exhaustion in the corners of her eyes—this hardworking goddess was clearly tired too.
"I'm fine. But you should rest early, Yoru. And don't come back this late again tomorrow, okay? I'll get worried. Take things slowly when adventuring, and don't try to take on too many monsters all at once."
"Understood, my dear Goddess."
Yoru replied with a chuckle—but Hestia immediately slapped his hand away.
"Don't talk to me like I'm a child! And that 'dear Goddess' stuff—you don't even sound serious when you say it! I'm not a kid!"
She puffed her cheeks and glared, then suddenly shoved Yoru back onto the bed again. Her chest—far larger than her petite frame should've allowed—bounced right in front of him, making him avert his gaze awkwardly.
Yeah… definitely not a child.