2400 Words chapter!
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
Looking at the two Adventurers, Hephaestus suddenly had a new idea.
"You two. How about joining the Hephaestus Familia?" She extended a direct invitation after sizing up Ous and Aris.
"Huh? Why do you want those two?"
Loki was caught off guard by Hephaestus's offer. It made no sense. These two were broke Adventurers who wouldn't even qualify to clean floors for the Loki Familia. Plus, the Hephaestus Familia focused on blacksmithing. Their fighters were there to test weapons and guard caravans, not to take in strays.
"To witness a miracle is a miracle in itself," Hephaestus replied.
"August's ability is an undeniable miracle. Since these two just experienced it firsthand, I want to see if their stats experience a sudden spike." She turned back to the two n. "So, are you in?"
"Based on your current accumulated stats, you should both be ready to reach [Level 2]."
Hephaestus wasn't bothered that both n were still [Level 1]. One had looked after his injured friend nonstop, so his hidden stats had to be high enough to level up. The other had just co back from near death and had his body rebuilt, so his stats would shoot up, too. She mainly wanted to see what August's healing magic would do to them over ti.
"Are you serious?"
The two n were stunned that a powerful Goddess wanted them. As experienced Adventurers, they knew a good chance when they saw one. Joining the Hephaestus Familia could change their lives. Even if they got kicked out later, just having the protection of a top group was worth it.
"Please let us join you, Lady Hephaestus!"
Ous and Aris bowed deeply. They knew the Hestia Familia wouldn't take them. A literal limb regeneration surgery would cost a galactic fortune in Orario—a price that basically didn't exist because the service didn't exist. They owed August far too much already.
"Stand up."
Hephaestus looked at her two new recruits. She didn't bla them for their past connections. Aris had risked everything to help his injured friend, which showed real character. She didn't expect them to be prodigies. Having good hearts was enough.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Aris helped Ous up, and together they stood behind Hephaestus, ready to follow her lead.
"Here, grab a seat." The waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility quickly brought over two spare stools for them.
"Thank you." Ous and Aris sat down.
Watching everything unfold, Loki suddenly felt a pang of regret. Now she wished she had recruited those two herself.
"Loki, what's wrong?" Finn Deimne asked, noticing his Goddess's calculating glare.
Loki gritted her teeth. "Hephaestus is right. Witnessing a miracle changes a person. If that magic can rebuild a body, it definitely leaves so lingering buffs or aftereffects. Hephaestus knows way more about the shrimp's kid than she's letting on."
"Dammit. I'm behind again," Loki muttered, sulking. It drove her crazy that she was always trying to catch up to August's real abilities.
Finn imdiately understood his Patron Goddess's frustration. Loki desperately wanted to asure the depths of this monster rookie's power. Maxing out stats to S-rank was impressive, but casual limb regeneration?
That broke the laws of reality.
Securing firsthand data on that kind of magic was an absolute ga-changer. In Orario, information was life.
"If you fall behind once, you might never catch up. The information gap is huge," Finn said quietly. He realized that if the Loki Familia did nothing, this newcor would leave them in the dust.
"Don't overthink it. At the very least, August is not our enemy," Riveria Ljos Alf stated calmly.
In her eyes, August had zero interest in competing with the Loki Familia. He wasn't a rival, and he certainly wasn't a threat to them.
"What makes you say that?" Gareth Landrock raised an eyebrow. "That's rare."
It was the first ti in decades he had heard his pragmatic Elven friend write soone off as a non-threat so quickly.
"His combat style," Riveria explained her observation. "He fights with overwhelming firepower, but he doesn't slaughter for fun. He doesn't take pleasure in cruelty. He fights efficiently and directly. It proves he isn't driven by base desires or bloodlust. He is a man of intense self-control."
She had lived a long ti. She had seen human scum, the beautiful and ugly sides of Adventurers, and maniacs driven purely by hedonism.
But a man like August? He was a complete outlier.
"That's so high praise," Loki noted, surprised by Riveria's assessnt.
"If that's the case, we should establish a good rapport with him," Finn added.
The Hestia Familia wasn't a malicious faction. Making contact was a smart move. Besides, in their line of work, losing a limb was a constant occupational hazard.
A dic capable of restoring limbs lost years ago? Having a guy like that on speed dial was basically a second life insurance policy.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
The miracle healing brought the party atmosphere back to the tavern. But every celebration has to end, and night had settled over the city.
"Thanks for your business, kid," Mia Grand called out to August.
With the amazing healing and the huge bill from the Hestia Familia, the Hostess of Fertility's reputation had just skyrocketed.
"You gave one hell of a show today. Not bad at all." Mia was thoroughly satisfied.
However, she had one more pressing question.
"By the way, kid... can that magic of yours cure blindness?" Mia asked, a rare look of desperate hope in her eyes.
As the pub owner, she hired not only retired Adventurers but also took care of orphans and street kids. That's why everyone called her 'Mama Mia'.
"Eyes?" August considered the request. "Depends on the condition. If it's severe nerve damage or a necrotic infection, my advice is to find a professional surgeon to fully extract the dead tissue first. Once the socket is clean, bring them to , and I'll regenerate a brand-new eye."
August had treated severe ocular trauma before. But back on Earth, his patients had already undergone professional triage and surgical prep. In this dieval world, dical hygiene was practically non-existent.
"Generally speaking, as long as the patient isn't brain-dead and they have the sheer willpower to cling to life... even if they're cut in half, my magic can trigger hyper-regeneration."
August could tell right away that Mia was looking after soone with a serious disability. She wouldn't have asked if she wasn't.
"Thank the Gods." Mia's face broke into a massive, relieved smile. If she weren't actively running a busy tavern, she would have sprinted off to grab the kid right then and there.
"Kid, let book an appointnt right now." Mia wasn't going to let this chance slip. August's clinical tone proved he had extensive dical experience. She needed him. "Whenever you're free, I'll bring them straight to you."
"I'm taking a break from the Dungeon for the next few days. Just bring your person by whenever you're ready," August offered. "I'll assess the situation and handle it on the spot."
"I owe you one." Mia exhaled a deep breath, her heavy heart finally lifting. Tomorrow morning, she was going to bring that child to him. If August could fix them, she would pay any price he asked.
"Alright, we're heading out," August said.
He picked up Hestia, who was snoring and totally out cold. Lili followed, still a little tipsy. After their goodbyes, Hephaestus took Aris and Ous, her new recruits, back to her forge.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
Stepping out into the cool night air, Lili stumbled slightly.
Compared to Soma's powerful divine wine, the tavern's ale was nothing. The cool night breeze quickly cleared Lili's head. At the next intersection, they went their separate ways. Lili's shabby hideout was far from the old church where August and Hestia stayed.
"August. From here on out, please watch . I am going to prove myself."
Lili clenched her fists, her voice steady and completely sober.
Watching August destroy monsters and then help a crippled man changed everything for Lili. It broke her, but in a good way. She was done running and ready to turn her life around.
"I'm counting on it." August gave her shoulder a firm pat and offered a rare smile.
"Yes, sir." Lili nodded deeply.
She grabbed her backpack straps and headed for her hideout. She had things to get ready. For the first ti in years, she felt truly confident.
Watching the small Pallum disappear down the street, August chuckled.
Adjusting Hestia's weight on his back, he turned and headed toward the ruined church.
With the small Goddess on his back, August felt her warmth against him. The night air was cool, but walking kept him warm. He glanced up at the huge, glowing moon above Orario.
"Feels like a damn dream," he muttered to himself.
He had gone from being an ordinary guy to soone with incredible power and magic. It felt unreal. But the steady breathing and warmth of the Goddess drooling on his shoulder reminded him this was real. He had left his old life behind for one full of excitent.
And honestly? He wouldn't trade it for the world.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
Just as August was getting lost in thought, the sound of boots running over rubble broke the quiet.
They were in the ruined part of the city. Other than so down-on-their-luck Gods living in empty buildings, no one else ca here.
August narrowed his eyes, tracking the noise.
"Yo!"
Tsubaki Collbrande, fully decked out in her executive gear, was sprinting for her life through the ruins. The second she spotted August, she threw up a frantic hand in greeting.
"Miss Tsubaki? What are you doing out here?"
August noticed how ssy she looked. She was running hard, clearly escaping sothing dangerous.
Tsubaki didn't answer. She leaped across a massive pile of debris, landing squarely behind August to use him as a at shield.
A mont later, a huge figure blocked the moonlight. A beastman, over seven feet tall and built like a tank, stepped out of the shadows.
"..." August sized the man up. The mont his eyes landed on the monstrous greatsword gripped in the beastman's hand, he instantly connected the dots.
"Ottar. Captain of the Freya Familia." August called out the man's identity.
August smirked. He was only trying to get ho, but now he'd walked right into a showdown between giants. This was going to be interesting.
Running into Tsubaki here was unexpected, but seeing Ottar chasing her made things clear. Hephaestus must have sent her Captain to find Bell Cranel. And Freya, who was obsessed with the boy's heroic soul, would never let another Familia take him.
The two heavy-hitting factions had officially clashed. He just hadn't expected the turf war to escalate this fast.
"Hestia Familia..." Ottar locked his stoic gaze onto August.
Even though the rookie was carrying a sleeping Goddess, Ottar wasn't about to underestimate him. This was the guy known for wiping out monster legions.
"If you're out here following your Goddess's orders, consider the mission over," August sighed, looking the apex Adventurer dead in the eye.
"Your Goddess really has a twisted sense of humor, doesn't she?"
"If she wants to groom a hero, she should just step up and claim him. But instead, she leaves him wandering the streets, paranoid soone else will steal him, while simultaneously plotting to steal him herself."
August laid it out bare. If Freya wanted the kid, she should have just recruited him. Playing these obsessive, voyeuristic mind gas ant she had no right to complain when soone else made a move.
Ottar's expression remained carved from stone, but internally, he was stunned.
This rookie actually knew the exact details of Freya's highly classified obsession. They were roughly the sa age, but Ottar could feel the sheer, suffocating confidence radiating off the man. August had just explicitly told him to back down.
Ottar shifted his gaze to Tsubaki Collbrande.
"Lady Freya asks that the Hephaestus Familia stop interfering with the boy. He is not soone your faction is allowed to touch."
Ottar knew fighting August here would be a huge mistake. He had no guarantee he could win. The 'monster rookie' didn't seem worried at all, even while facing Orario's strongest [Level 7] Adventurer.
Ottar's honed instincts scread at him to back off. If he started a fight tonight, it could drag all of Orario into chaos. He might even put Lady Freya in danger.
Ottar couldn't gamble with stakes that high. So, he defaulted to a verbal warning.
"No can do, big guy! My Goddess said if Freya wants us to back off, she has to pay up. This is premium, high-value intel we're acting on," Tsubaki shot back, safely utilizing August's presence to negotiate.
She had a mission. There was no way she'd leave with nothing. Hephaestus had spent a lot for information on the boy, and Tsubaki wasn't about to let her Patron Goddess lose out.
"Fine."
Recognizing that Hephaestus was operating on concrete intelligence, Ottar chose to negotiate.
"Na your price. We will compensate you."
"But under the strict condition that your Familia severs all contact with the boy."
Ottar made it clear: the Freya Familia was willing to pay whatever exorbitant ransom Hephaestus demanded, so long as they abandoned their pursuit of Bell Cranel.
"You're all business. Gotta respect it, Ottar," Tsubaki grinned.
She knew she couldn't recruit the boy now, but getting an open offer from the Freya Familia was a big win. The two Goddesses could settle the price tomorrow.
"Ensure you keep your word," Ottar warned her.
He cast one final, heavily guarded glance at August. He let out a quiet sigh. He couldn't touch this rookie. The odds of survival were simply too low.
Turning on his heel, Ottar vanished into the shadows, leaving the ruined street as silently as he had arrived.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
~ If you have so spare Power Stones, drop a few since they help this story to progress.
~ Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus chapter
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
sp-atreon/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
User Comments
0 comments from readers