The towering Babel Tower stood in the city center, with streets dividing the city into eight areas, and a dazzling array of shops on both sides.
"Hephaestus Familia Northwest Branch"
"The Benevolent Mistress"
Keare never thought he would find such a sense of pilgrimage in the Dungeon or Familia.
However—
These were not places he should linger in now; choosing to join the newly formed Hestia Familia meant he absolutely couldn't expect much in terms of conditions.
Reality was no different from Keare's guess.
Bypassing the bustling Central Plaza, what came into view next was the ravaged South Street, a stark contrast to the prosperous Orario.
Collapsed abandoned buildings and weeds were visible everywhere along the street.
The bricks and stones in the shadows, moistened by rain, were covered with a thick layer of dark green moss; Keare couldn't think of any other word besides desolation.
"The world's storyline is still quite early. I just don't know if the white-haired, red-eyed rabbit has joined a Familia yet?"
He could deduce the approximate timeline by analyzing the location of the Familia's headquarters.
And Hestia's next words gave him the precise answer.
"Um... Keare-kun, actually, you're the first member of my Familia."
Walking side by side with the young man on the street, after the initial passion for creating a Familia had dissipated, she thought about having to take Keare back to the basement of an abandoned church.
To bestow a god's blessing in such an environment...
Her heart was filled with trepidation. Would Keare-kun choose to give up joining because the overall environment of her Familia was too poor?
Thinking of this, Hestia felt it was very necessary to give a heads-up:
"And then~"
"I also descended to the lower world quite late, so... so the conditions of the Familia will be quite poor. You don't mind, do you?"
"..."
Keare firmly noted this information. The hero reincarnated in Dungeon or Familia, the protagonist white-haired, red-eyed rabbit, had not yet appeared.
This meant that he would have a lot of room for maneuver in the future.
Reducing the possibility of entering the sight of the beautiful goddess Freya, and not having to worry about Apollo, who devoured both men and women, coveting his ass every day!
Facing Hestia's expectant inquiry, he pondered for a moment and told her his true thoughts: "I think the Familia that suits oneself is the best."
"These external difficulties can all be overcome, as long as one is willing to put in the effort!"
"..."
"Keare-kun."
Hestia could feel that this was Keare's genuine thought.
Recalling their initial encounter, she hadn't chosen to ignore him, taking him to the Pure White Sanatorium for treatment. That was also the most correct decision she had made!
"I will also work hard with you."
"Hestia-sama, I have another request... You can just call me by my name. I always feel a bit strange with the honorifics after it."
"Okay."
"Keare!"
—
Arriving at the basement of the abandoned church, the environment was no different from what Keare had expected.
There was an abandoned sofa picked up from who knows where, a meticulously clean bed, and a few daily necessities on the cabinet surface.
Perhaps because Hestia lived alone, it always felt a bit lacking in signs of life.
When he saw the takeout box for fried potato balls on the table in front of the sofa, which had been eaten but not yet thrown away, things became reasonable.
Having not yet officially entered the Dungeon or Familia storyline, Hestia, as a god, indeed had a bit of a lazy and gluttonous personality.
"I should be able to reach the other side, right?"
Keare ignored these minor details. Having joined the Familia and returned to the headquarters, the next step was obvious: to receive the blessing.
It was very easy to understand, activating ability values similar to an experience bar.
But he had directly transmigrated to the Dungeon or Familia in his second life, without having gone to the village lake to obtain the 'Jade Eye' ability from the elves, which allowed him to see ability values.
And the disappearing hero's mark on the back of his hand...
Various unknown states stacked up, making Keare unclear about his own situation.
The most pressing question for him now was whether he could still use the various heaven-defying abilities of a Healer after coming to Dungeon or Familia!
"To join a Familia, first you need to receive a god's grace. Keare, take off your shirt and lie on the bed, then wait for me for a moment."
Compared to Keare's apprehension, Hestia was full of anticipation. How talented was the Familia member she had managed to recruit with such difficulty?
She found the tools needed to bestow the blessing—a silver needle and parchment to copy the ability values.
"Thank you, Hestia-sama."
Keare knew the specific process. He took off his shirt, revealing a physique that was slightly slender compared to other boys his age.
But these issues were not important. Thinking about receiving a god's blessing and starting his Adventurer life in Dungeon or Familia, his heart was filled with anticipation!
Only.
The subsequent development was a bit beyond Keare's expectations. Hestia, having made all the preliminary preparations, sat on the edge of the bed.
The young girl gently swung her smooth, lotus-root-like calves.
After kicking off her slippers onto the floor, she stretched her hands across the bed and straddled Keare's shoulders, directly in front of his head.
There was no feeling of chest compression.
Instead, he distinctly felt Hestia's light physique.
"Is this posture correct?"
Keare really wanted to complain, but when he turned his head, he saw the young girl's fair and delicate jade feet, and her plump, clean toes.
He chose to retract his complaint.
The perfectly sculpted arch of her foot; such tiny feet were perfect for playing with in one's palm!
"Absolutely correct."
...
Straddling Keare's back, Hestia hadn't realized the posture was overly ambiguous.
All her attention was focused on bestowing the blessing upon her Familia member. She had no experience in this area and could only follow her impressions.
She gently pricked her index finger with the silver needle.
A drop of divine blood squeezed from the wound was gently smeared onto Keare's smooth back.
In an instant—
A soft light appeared before his eyes. As the divine characters continuously reorganized, they finally formed the "Blessing" bestowed by a god upon a mortal.
"It's a success."
A genuine smile bloomed on the young girl's delicate face. She took out the pre-prepared brown parchment and made an imprint of Keare's ability values.
When an ordinary person first receives a blessing, all their ability values are in their initial state.
Unless it's an exceptionally talented spirit or a hero born of the world, these few exceptions will possess magic and skills when they receive the blessing.
But the world didn't have that many geniuses to choose from, so many Familias would start cultivating children from a young age to ensure they had good talent.
Hestia's thoughts, however, were quite the opposite. To her, her Familia members were more like family.
Keare, whom she met, did not give up because of the difficult conditions of the Familia; he still firmly chose her.
In her eyes, this was a fated connection!
As for talent, Hestia didn't care at all, but when her gaze fell upon the imprinted parchment.
The young girl's eyes were bewildered.
Immediately after—
A surprised smile, emanating from the depths of her heart, bloomed on her youthful face!
—
Keare
Lv1
Strength: i0 | Endurance: i0 | Dexterity: i0 | Agility: i0 | Magic: i0
Development Abilities: None
Magic: Recovery
Skills: None
—
"?"
"Did I... strike gold?!"