Rina-sensei's explanation finally made everyone understand. There wouldn't be any life-threatening dangers in the other world, but losing an arm or a leg was a different story entirely.
Safety was still a top priority. After finishing her explanation, Rina-sensei gave the students some time to think it over. "You can think about it carefully, or contact your parents. Those who are willing to participate can come next door and let Miss Hestia grant you her Blessing."
With that said, she led Hestia out of the room and waited in the empty classroom next door. As soon as they left, Yukino Yukinoshita stood up and followed them.
Seeing this, Megumi Kato didn't hesitate much either, leaving the classroom right behind Yukino. The rest of the students were a bit stunned to see people stepping up so quickly.
Everyone's gaze then fell upon Ren and Asuna. Seeing that the two hadn't moved, a nearby classmate couldn't help but ask, "Ren, aren't you going?"
If Ren wasn't going, the rest of the class would really have to reconsider—especially since their homeroom teacher had just announced that Ren would be leading them from now on.
Seeing so many eyes on him, Ren spread his hands and said, "I already have her Blessing. That girl ran over to my place last night, so both Asuna and I already received our Falna."
"That's right. So you don't need to worry about us, just think about yourselves. The two of us are definitely going," Asuna added with a smile.
Since the two already had their Falna, there was naturally no need for them to go over. Their explanation instantly relieved the class. Perhaps they had already made up their minds from the start—since Ren was going, everyone else would follow suit.
Having made their decisions, the students stood up one after another and headed next door. A few who couldn't make up their minds immediately contacted their parents.
When it came to traveling to another world, their parents were even more excited than they were. They agreed without a second thought, urging them to participate without hesitation.
With their parents' approval, these students also hurried to the next classroom to line up. The room emptied out in a flash, leaving only Ren and Asuna behind.
"What are your plans now? She made you her Captain, after all," Asuna chatted with Ren. Hestia had already appointed him as the Captain of the Hestia Familia.
"What plans could I have? The ones making the arrangements aren't us, but the people sending us over. All I have to do is lead everyone to properly improve their strength in that world." Ren was very clear about his own role.
He didn't need to handle anything else, nor was it his place to do so. His only job was to lead everyone through the Dungeon to gain experience, which was a simple enough task.
Hearing this, Asuna nodded thoughtfully. It seemed he was right; there were many things Ren didn't need to worry about. Naturally, someone else would arrange everything when the time came.
While the two were talking, Megumi Kato and Yukino Yukinoshita returned. They walked in from the hallway and sat back down in their seats.
"All done?" Asuna couldn't help but ask when she saw Megumi sit down.
Hearing Asuna's question, Megumi nodded. She said with a subtle expression, "It seems she just dripped divine blood on our backs. I thought it would be some grand, sophisticated ritual..."
It was completely different from what she had imagined. It was just a single drop of divine blood that materialized her talents and skills. Her body hadn't even changed in the slightest.
"That's just how it is. She merely integrated her divine blood into us. It's basically getting a drop of divine blood for free!" Speaking of this, Ren couldn't help but mutter to himself.
*I still want to grab Hestia and bleed her dry, then just buy her some blood-replenishing potions.* If he did that, he figured he could become a premier supplier of divine blood.
"You're not wrong about that. We did get a drop of divine blood for free." Yukino also agreed with Ren's assessment. It was basically a massive gift falling right out of the sky.
The divine blood had already fused with them, but exactly when it would show its effects was unknown. Regardless, it was all benefits and no drawbacks.
As they chatted, the classmates who had received their Blessings gradually returned. Although no one showed any physical changes, everyone was still incredibly excited. Some had even finally learned the names of their innate talents.
It actually didn't take Hestia long to grant her Blessing to over forty people. She just had them expose their backs, applied her divine blood to activate it, and that was that.
Later on, she didn't even bother reading out their Status boards because most of them were identical, save for their different talents. However, seeing a uniform roster of Tier 3 adventurers left Hestia absolutely thrilled.
After finishing everything, Hestia followed Rina-sensei back into the classroom. Rina-sensei immediately announced, "Everyone, self-study for now. Ren, come with me. There are some things we need to discuss."
With that, Rina-sensei walked out. Seeing this, Ren stood up and followed her out of the classroom. Hestia promptly tagged along as well, since the upcoming discussion involved her too.
Once outside, Rina-sensei said, "Let's go to the principal's office. Director Ken is waiting for you."
She then led Ren and Hestia straight toward the principal's office. On the way, Rina-sensei told Ren, "The Director wants to talk to you about some things regarding your trip to the other world."
Hearing Rina-sensei's words, Ren nodded, though he also had a question. "Has a departure time been decided?"
Rina-sensei hadn't mentioned a departure time at all; she had only told everyone to accept the Blessing. Not a single word had been said about when they were leaving. How exactly was this going to be arranged?
"We'll have to wait for those two teachers to arrive before making a decision on that." Rina-sensei looked at Ren with a smile. The departure time truly hadn't been finalized yet.
"The teachers being transferred from elsewhere? Speaking of which, the duration of our stay hasn't been determined either, right? Will we have to come back for our future exams and stuff?" Ren actually had quite a few questions, especially regarding the two new teachers.
"Yes, one teacher will instruct you on how to use various weapons, and the other will teach magic. As for your exams, that will be explained to you when the time comes." Rina-sensei didn't elaborate much. Exams practically didn't exist for this class.
After all, exams were nothing more than a test of strength, and Ren and the others were definitely strong enough. These kids were already at Tier 3; by the time they returned from the other world, their strength would be more than sufficient.
In fact, as long as they didn't get sent back for causing trouble, this group would be directly recommended for university. Once the students in the special class reached a certain level of strength, they would automatically advance. There was no need for exams.
After all, everyone in this class was exceptionally gifted. Exams tested your strength and evaluated your talent, and the students in this class had both in spades.
Moreover, those two teachers were being dispatched directly from the university. Someone would naturally explain these matters to them when the time came; there was no need for her to say too much.
Rina-sensei brought Ren to the principal's office and knocked on the door. Only after hearing a voice from inside did she lead Ren and Hestia in.
"You're here. Have a seat!" Director Ken greeted Ren very gently, gesturing for him to come over and sit down.
Director Ken was currently sitting by the coffee table in his office. Seeing the three arrive, he picked up three teacups and poured them some tea. As they sat down, he placed a cup in front of each of them.
Ren thanked him and picked up his teacup to take a sip. Director Ken then spoke up, "I called you over this time mainly to brief you on a few things."
Director Ken's gaze fixed on Ren, his expression turning serious. Hearing his words, Ren set down his teacup and sat up straight. "Please go ahead, Director."
He understood perfectly well that the important part was coming. It was likely regarding what Ren was supposed to do once he went to the other world. They must have already discussed and finalized the plans on their end.
"Once you arrive in the other world, your priority is to establish your Familia as quickly as possible. Then, build up your reputation and secure a place in that city where the gods gather," Director Ken said slowly.
He laid out exactly what Ren and the others needed to do. The core mission was actually just one thing: to build up the reputation of the Hestia Familia and secure a solid standing.
"Actually, this is quite simple. You all just need to go there and focus on your training," Director Ken added at the end, seemingly worried about putting too much pressure on Ren.
As long as this group went over and developed their strength, their reputation would naturally spread. As for everything else, someone would handle it when the time came.
"I understand. If that's all, it shouldn't be a problem." Ren nodded. This was exactly what he had expected. It wasn't a huge deal; increasing their strength was what they were going to do anyway.
"Aside from that, I hope you can utilize your talent to learn as much as possible in that world!"
Director Ken looked at Ren with utmost solemnity as he delivered his final point.
This was the most crucial part. Ren's talent was incredibly useful for this. Going to another world to learn more knowledge and skills and bringing them back—the resources of an entire world were far too important.
Hearing Director Ken say this, Ren nodded. This wasn't an issue at all, considering he already had this idea in mind. In other words, going to the other world meant all these tasks were just convenient side objectives.
Seeing Ren nod, Director Ken smiled and said, "As a reward, I've applied for a batch of resources for you. They will be delivered along with your Spatial Ring."
Having Ren do all these things wasn't for free; there were benefits involved. Otherwise, who would be willing to work for nothing? Even if Ren didn't say anything, he would probably hold a grudge in his heart.
Naturally, they wouldn't take advantage of Ren in these matters. Director Ken laid everything out for him, delivering quite a lot of information.
Hearing this, Ren's eyes instantly lit up. He asked in surprise, "The Spatial Ring has already been approved? That's fantastic!"
This was a genuine surprise. And there were other supplies too? That was absolutely wonderful. If nothing unexpected happened, all the materials needed to build a Familia in the other world would probably be provided as well, right?
Ren chatted with him in the principal's office for a while longer before leaving. Now that he knew his mission, he didn't have to worry about the rest. Stepping out of the office, Ren walked back toward the classroom, feeling quite pleased with himself.
"Wait for me!" Right at that moment, Hestia hurried after him. Ren turned to look at her, feeling a bit speechless. "Why are you following me? I'm going back to class, are you tagging along for that too?"
"Hmph, everyone in your class is a member of my Familia now. What's wrong with me tagging along!" Hestia said self-righteously. Besides, she had nowhere else to go right now. If she didn't follow Ren, where would she go?
Hearing this, Ren couldn't be bothered to argue with her and headed straight for his classroom. Hestia followed closely behind him like a little tail.
The two returned to the classroom. After Ren sat down in his seat, Hestia followed suit, sitting right next to him and looking around curiously.
Looking at the students in the classroom, Hestia's face was plastered with a massive smile. These were all *her* people! Just thinking about bringing this group back to Orario made it impossible for her to hide her grinning face.
The students in the class were all looking at Hestia with curious gazes. Her goofy demeanor completely shattered everyone's preconceived notions of what a deity should be like.
Right now, Hestia gave off the impression of someone who wasn't very bright—someone who looked incredibly easy to fool. Of course, that was assuming you weren't afraid of being beaten to death by her. Even though she looked silly, the power she possessed was undeniably on the level of a god.
Over the next few days, everyone attended classes as usual. Hestia followed Ren and the others to and from class every day, slowly getting familiar with all the students.
Moreover, the girls in the class loved feeding Hestia snacks. As a result, Hestia lived an incredibly comfortable and nourishing life in the class during this period.
She almost didn't want to return to Orario anymore. After all, if she went back, she wouldn't have all these delicious snacks. Getting free food every single day here was pure bliss.
Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking. During school that day, Rina-sensei asked Ren to head to the principal's office once again. This time, however, no one accompanied him.
Hestia wasn't as clingy as she had been during the first few days. Instead, she obediently stayed in the classroom, so Ren went over by himself.
Upon arriving, Director Ken directly handed a Spatial Ring to Ren. "This Spatial Ring is your reward. Inside, there are some potions, as well as various unreleased magic spells and martial arts techniques."
Hearing this, Ren paused in surprise. *They gave me this much stuff right off the bat?* Under Director Ken's guidance, Ren quickly bound the Spatial Ring to himself and peered at the multitude of items inside.
Various potions, gold measured by the kilogram, and several books—these were all Ren's rewards. Their immense value went without saying.
The potions, in particular, were mostly Intermediate and Advanced grades, though Ren would have to check their specific effects himself. It was safe to say that he had truly been given a massive gift package this time.
"Thank you, Director Ken!" Looking at the items, Ren nodded in satisfaction. Seeing the gold, he immediately understood that it was their startup capital for the other world.
"Go make your preparations. You're scheduled to depart on Monday. The weekend will give you just enough time to get everything you need ready." Director Ken looked at Ren with a gentle expression. He believed that Ren would bring them pleasant surprises this time.
Even if there were no surprises, it didn't matter. In truth, with Ren's talent, he was bound to shine brilliantly in that world. When the time came, the name of the Hestia Familia would undoubtedly become renowned.
As long as Hestia could rise to prominence, they would essentially have a bridgehead over there. In the future, if others went to that world, they would be able to receive some assistance.
Ren nodded. After saying goodbye to Director Ken, he returned to the classroom. Seeing Ren come back, Rina-sensei brought up their departure time, informing the students that they would be leaving next Monday.
The two days of the weekend were perfect for everyone to make preparations, such as buying armor and defensive gear. None of the students had these items, so it was best to prepare a set before heading over.
Rina-sensei spent the entire class period reminding everyone of various precautions, all to ensure they could better survive and train in that world. The students, in turn, earnestly took notes on all the important details she mentioned.