"Would you like to become an adventurer?"
Ron raised his head and looked at the delicate girl sitting straight across from him. From the hope in her eyes, he could feel how sincere this invitation was.
Based on what he had learned earlier, this was the office of the Hephaestus Familia's weapon shop.
Hestia should have arrived in Orario before the main story began, and at this point, the original protagonist had not yet joined her familia.
Right now, the familia was in the harsh phase of starting from nothing. That meant that during the rookie adventurer stage, you could only rely on yourself.
And ordinary rookie adventurers basically had no chance of joining powerful familias.
After all, familias in Orario had developed for so long that derivative systems had emerged, no different from the youth training pipelines in Ron's past life esports scene.
Selecting talented children and nurturing them was far more reliable than recruiting random adventurers off the street.
Compared to familias like Soma Familia, or other minor familias that barely even appeared in the original story, Hestia was undoubtedly the best choice for him at this stage.
"Of course."
"If you come to Orario and don't become an adventurer, then life here has no meaning at all!"
That was not a lie.
Facing a supernatural world where magic truly existed, Ron, as a transmigrator, had to consider whether this might be the only chance in his lifetime.
After receiving Ron's clear answer, Hestia looked up at the spirited young man before her. She could feel the weight behind his words.
"I've been thinking about starting a familia recently."
"But there aren't any adventurers yet."
"So I wanted to ask… oh right, what should I call you?"
"Ron."
"Ron… would you be interested in joining the Hestia Familia?"
As she made the invitation, the girl felt an overwhelming sense of nervousness.
This tension was completely different from how she had felt when recruiting adventurers at the Guild before.
Hestia worried whether her ramshackle setup could really bear the weight of this dream.
"Of course, if you have a better option…"
"I could even help you get in touch with other gods."
"I think Lady Hestia's familia sounds pretty good."
First, she was a cute goddess with a youthful face and a generous figure. Second, the familia treated its members like family.
Ron had no reason to refuse.
After hearing his reply, Hestia initially thought she had just been handed a polite rejection. It was not until she saw the firm look in his eyes that she realized the truth.
"Really?"
"I haven't been in Orario for very long. The conditions of my familia might be much tougher than you expect, and I might not even be able to help you that much."
"Even so… you still want to join my familia?"
"Yes."
Ron did not waver.
Choosing to join the newly founded Hestia Familia meant Dungeon exploration would be harder, but the advantage was that the god could frequently help update his Status.
And looking at it another way.
Was he not essentially joining the main cast ahead of time?
His expression remained calm as he looked at the goddess, whose face was filled with disbelief.
"Lady Hestia, what should we do next?"
"Wait just a moment!"
"I'll go prepare the tools for granting Falna right now."
The unconscious boy she had picked up had woken up and was willing to join her newly established familia.
To Hestia, that was also a kind of fate. But before granting him Falna, she needed to ask Hephaestus about the exact procedure.
After all, she really had no experience with this.
Most importantly, the first adventurer joining her familia symbolized her brand-new beginning in Orario!
---
After transmigrating into the world of Danmachi, whether it was his anticipation for the supernatural system, his desire to establish himself in the chaotic city of Orario, or the Black Dragon crisis that would arrive in two years…
Ron had every reason to become an adventurer.
Fortunately, things had not gone beyond his expectations. After joining the Hestia Familia, what awaited him was an adventurer's life he had never experienced before.
He stood up from the sofa and surveyed Hephaestus's office.
Ron's gaze stopped on a glass mirror not far away. When he saw the face reflected inside, he felt momentarily dazed.
The face in the mirror was still his familiar one.
But compared to his past life, weathered by society, the fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy before him had youthful features and soft edges.
Good news.
His body had returned to its energetic, peak-looks teenage state!
"Honestly…"
"Since I've already been reborn, I have to live this life to the fullest!"
Just as Ron was filled with anticipation for the unknown future in Orario, the office door was quietly pushed open. Hestia walked in, carrying a piece of parchment.
She was very beautiful.
Her slightly childish face, a miracle crafted by the creator, was lit up by her cheerful mood. The corners of her mouth curved upward, revealing sweet dimples.
"Oh."
"Ron, next you'll need to take off your shirt and lie face-down on the sofa."
Hestia placed the parchment on the table and explained seriously.
Granting Falna meant dripping divine blood onto a follower's back, giving them the authority to gain power and continue growing stronger.
As for the vessel an adventurer possessed, it represented their potential.
Before receiving Falna, not even a god could know what talents a follower might have!
There were even a few gods who, upon discovering that a child in their familia was ordinary, lost interest and gradually treated them as a marginal member, slowly forgetting about them.
She would never do that!
From the moment she decided to form a familia, Hestia believed it should be a warm family.
But now that she was truly facing this crucial moment of granting blessings, it was impossible not to feel excited about what kind of talent Ron, her new family member, might possess.
The girl sat on the edge of the sofa. She pricked her finger with a silver needle, then let a drop of bright red divine blood fall onto Ron's back.
In an instant.
A gentle glow accompanied by obscure Hieroglyphs slowly emerged from his back.
As the Hieroglyphs gradually condensed into a status panel, Hestia picked up the parchment beside her and copied down his initial Status values.
She did not forget to explain.
"Ron, all adventurers start with zero in their initial Status."
"If you want to raise your Status, you have to go into the Dungeon, fight the monsters there, and then update your Status afterward."
"Lady Hestia, I will try my best."
She lowered her gaze slightly and focused on the parchment where she was recording his Status.
---
Name: Ron
Level: Lv1
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Perfectly normal initial values.
What truly confused Hestia were Ron's skills.
Skills:
Despicable Foreigner
· This effect only triggers while inside the Dungeon
· Hated by the Dungeon
· The Dungeon environment may change at any time, and special monsters may appear
Resurrection
· Allows revival upon death
· Revival is limited to one use, which can be replenished by killing monsters to accumulate Soul Residue
· Usable charges refresh daily at midnight
Character Save
· Consume Soul Residue to draw character cards and gain different abilities
· Only one character card can be used at a time
· The number and strength of character cards increase with personal level
· Current character card: None.
"Honestly…"
After reading through the rookie adventurer Ron's skills, the goddess had already slid off the edge of the sofa and onto the floor. She could not help but murmur,
"Even from a god's perspective, in all of Orario's long history, a miracle like this probably never appeared before, right?"