Inside the private room, Hephaestus smeared her Ichor onto Rayleigh's back.
As the blood transformed, the cryptic hieroglyphs arranged itself into a unique shape.
Hephaestus's Crest was now branded upon him.
"With this, you are now one of my children," Hephaestus said, her voice gentle.
Rayleigh could feel the complex emotions woven into her words—tenderness, sincerity, and care.
It made him feel "favored."
At the same moment, as he received the Falna, he felt a power awaken within him.
"Wait, what's this?" Hephaestus exclaimed in astonishment.
She stared at the status panel that had appeared on Rayleigh's back, her eyes widening as she scanned it back and forth.
"Whoa, whoa... this goes way beyond 'gifted,' hahaha." Hephaestus was shocked by what she saw that she couldn't help but laugh, running a hand through her hair as if to check if she was dreaming.
'Not just Magic... He even had a Skill!'
[Status]
Name: Rayleigh
Level: Lv. 1
Abilities:
Strength: I0 |
Endurance: I0 |
Dexterity: I0 |
Agility: I0 |
Magic: I0
[Magic] :
[Destructive Path (Hadou)]
Offensive Magic | Quick-Cast Magic | Area-of-Effect Offensive Magic
Can use Destructive Path spells numbered 1-99.
[Binding Path (Bakudou)]
Suppression Magic | Defensive Magic | Barrier Magic
Can use Binding Path spells numbered 1-99.
[Healing Path (Kaidou)]
Healing Magic | Regeneration Magic | Purification Magic
Can use Healing Path spells.
[Skills] :
[Soul Blade (Zanpakuto)]
Can forge Zanpakuto.
Can name Zanpakuto.
Gains Proficiency when a Zanpakuto achieves a great feat.
...
Staring at the status screen—so extravagant it seemed impossible for a Lv. 1 rookie Adventurer, especially in the Magic and Skill sections—even Hephaestus, who had lived for over a hundred million years, felt like she was seeing something new for the first time.
'Three unknown Magic types that cover offense, defense, and healing... It's like that Nine Hell.'
And then there was a Production-type Skill, also unheard of.
'What's a Zanpakuto? Could it be a weapon similar to a Magic Sword?'
Hephaestus was bewildered.
Having three Magic was outrageous enough.
As long as the performance of these Magic spells wasn't pathetic, Rayleigh was guaranteed to achieve great things.
It would be a waste for him to become just a Blacksmith.
Hephaestus felt a pang of worry.
Could she guide Rayleigh to his full potential?
A child this gifted would be a top priority in an exploration-focused Familia like the Loki Familia.
With a little training, he could become a renowned star Adventurer in a few years.
The Hephaestus Familia was a Production-type Familia.
Its members focused on forging, with few achievements in Dungeon exploration. They might not be able to satisfy this child's needs.
Noticing the goddess's prolonged silence, Rayleigh asked, "Goddess, is something wrong?"
Hephaestus was pulled back from her thoughts. "It's nothing. I'll transcribe your abilities into the common tongue now."
"Thank you, Goddess."
Hephaestus pressed a sheet of paper against Rayleigh's back, creating a transcription of his status.
As she worked, she explained, "This is the direct manifestation of Falna. Through the power of a god, we draw out the potential of the children of the Lower World and give them the opportunity to grow."
"See these numerical values?" Hephaestus pointed to the contents on the paper. "These are your Abilities."
"Though they're all at zero right now and you're only Lv. 1, your Vessel has awakened. From now on, you need to fill it with water to level up and become stronger."
"The 'water' is 'Excellia'. You can gain it through adventuring or through daily life. The 'Excellia' you earn will be stored within you. When you've accumulated enough, you'll need to update your Abilities to grow. Only the Patron God of a Familia can update Abilities. You'll understand this better once you experience it yourself."
Her tone shifted, becoming stern. "After you've reviewed your Abilities, it's best to destroy this paper. For an Adventurer, Magic and Skills are their trump cards. If you can avoid revealing them, you must. Understand?"
Seeing her emphasize this, Rayleigh nodded to show he understood.
Still worried, Hephaestus repeated the warning twice more before letting him be.
"Honestly," Hephaestus sighed, "you children of Genkai always bring us surprises. Putting the Magic aside, I've never seen a Skill like this before. I can't offer any advice, So you'll have to spend time experimenting with it."
Rayleigh listened to the goddess's detailed explanation.
During this time, he finished reviewing his own Abilities.
'Destructive Path, Binding Path, Healing Path—none of these came as a surprise. Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Shunpo, and Kido.'
Among the four fundamental abilities of a Shinigami, only Kido qualified as Magic.
The others—Zanjutsu for swordsmanship, Hakuda for hand-to-hand combat, and Shunpo for flash steps—were techniques.
The Soul Blade Skill, however, was a pleasant surprise.
Rayleigh had thought that being able to forge Zanpakuto was enough.
But when he saw that he could gain Excellia by achieving great deeds through the Zanpakuto he created, he was ecstatic.
Don't be fooled by Bell Cranel's rapid leveling speed.
Most Adventurers struggle their entire lives to reach Lv. 4, with many never making it to Lv. 3.
Otherwise, Lv. 2 wouldn't be known as High-Rank Adventurer status.
As the "First and Last Hero" favored by the world, Bell Cranel was a cheat character with a privileged background.
But with this Skill, Rayleigh realized he had become the type of person he used to despise!
If he sold enough Zanpakuto, wouldn't he be gaining EXP while AFK?
"What do you plan to do next?" the goddess asked.
Rayleigh gave the answer he had decided on.
"I'm heading into the Dungeon."
'Hmm?'
'So, despite his inscrutable nature, this boy yearns for adventure,' Hephaestus mused.
'He's barely qualified as an Adventurer, yet he's itching to enter the Dungeon.'
Hephaestus smiled. "Go on, then. Get a taste of it. But remember this: on your first trip into the Dungeon, you must not go below the Third Floor!"
The goddess emphasized the point with a grave tone.
Rayleigh agreed.
He hadn't planned on delving deep anyway.
The monsters on the First to Third Floors were weak enough that a farmer wielding a tool could defeat one alone.
To date, the death rate for new Adventurers exploring these upper floors was zero.
Since these floors were close to the surface, they were bustling with Adventurers.
If he ran into trouble, a cry for help would bring rescue.
The only cost would be a bit of pride.
For these reasons, it wasn't worth assigning someone to guide him.
"For us Blacksmiths, leveling up is essential to creating higher-quality works. Take Development Abilities, for example," Hephaestus advised Rayleigh. "When it comes to that kind of knowledge, I recommend learning from your assigned advisor at the Guild rather than from another Blacksmith."
"I understand," Rayleigh replied.
While he had some knowledge of Development Abilities, he knew he needed to study them to understand how they worked.
When it came to real-world matters, it was best to rely on real-world experience.
Here's what he knew so far: One condition for acquiring a Development Ability was leveling up.
Each time an Adventurer leveled up, they had a chance to gain an additional Development Ability.
An Adventurer's actions before leveling up influenced the probability of acquiring specific Development Abilities.
Most Development Abilities provided an extra enhancement to a specialized skill.
For example, the presence or absence of the [Blacksmith] Development Ability was a direct indicator of a Blacksmith's skill.
Tsubaki Collbrande, the captain of the Hephaestus Familia, had reached Lv. 5 as a Blacksmith—a level beyond that of an ordinary smith.
This was one of the key factors that made her the city's top Blacksmith.
Though Rayleigh called himself a Blacksmith, he was fundamentally a Shinigami and his emphasis on strength went without saying.
'I'm going to become this world's Shinigami!' he vowed.
...
Speaking of the Dungeon...
Long ago, in an ancient era before the Labyrinth City Orario existed...
This place was once a bottomless abyss of unknown depth, appearing from above like a gaping hole in the earth.
Located at the edge of the continent, this great chasm spewed forth endless hordes of monsters that rampaged across the land, breeding and spreading devastation wherever they went.
The heroes of ancient times arrived to fight back.
They built walls and towns on this war front, forming the settlement that would become Orario.
Centuries later, the Gods of the Celestial Realm reached an agreement.
They sealed their divine power and descended from the heavens, choosing to live among the people of the Lower World rather than remain in their unchanging home.
The great god Ouranos used his divine power to suppress the chasm, preventing monsters from leaving their floors and reaching the surface.
During their descent, the Gods destroyed the Tower of Babel.
They commissioned the legendary craftsman Daedalus to build a new Tower of Babel—or rather, Babel 2.0—which is the towering white spire that pierces the clouds today.
Thus, the Tower of Babel became the lid sealing the Dungeon.
With this, the Age of Heroes came to an end, and the Age of Gods and Familias began!
...
As instructed by Hephaestus, Rayleigh collected a "starter kit" from the Familia's supplies.
It contained an iron shortsword, a pair of gloves, a pair of boots, and some miscellaneous parts.
He examined the equipment but couldn't find Hephaestus's trademark on any of it.
"Looks like these were made by Familia members for practice," Rayleigh mused.
He armed himself.
His opponents weren't strong for a first few floors, but they were monster with killing intent.
If given the chance, they would attack aiming to kill.
This was a real battle, not a game.
After changing into his new gear, Rayleigh looked like a proper Adventurer.
He wore a gray-brown cloak, with his Asauchi and the iron sword hanging at his waist.
A tool pouch was slung over his back, and his joints were protected by guards.
Though not top-quality, this set of equipment was beyond what most rookie Adventurers could hope for.
When the 'Chosen One' Bell became an Adventurer, he had to take out a loan from the Guild for basic gear because the Hestia Familia was broke.
She couldn't offer him material support.
Compared to the trash equipment provided by the Guild, the "junk" gathering dust in the Hephaestus Familia's warehouse was several tiers better.
With a thrill of excitement, Rayleigh arrived at the Tower of Babel.
Today marked his memorable first adventure!
"Target: Third Floor! Let's go!"
----
The amount of magic stats he has, correspond to the amount Reiatsu he can use, same with others if they use a zanpakutou too.