The Gods arrived fast, and they left just as quickly.
Thanks to Hestia playing the fool, the crowd of Gods waiting outside scattered. Once they saw Freya walk away looking bored, everyone assud Hestia's first Familia mber was a total dud.
They had expected a new hero to erge. Instead, they got a glorified pack mule of a Supporter.
Hephaestus left the cleanup to Tsubaki, ordering her Captain to disperse the remaining crowd.
Inside the workshop, the room fell quiet, leaving the two Goddesses and one mortal alone.
"August, how are you holding up? Were you nervous?"
Hestia noticed August sitting there with a blank expression, as if the massive scene that just played out had nothing to do with him. She hurried over to check on him. Why wasn't he saying anything?
"Why would I be nervous?" August shrugged. "I couldn't understand a single word anyone was saying. It's hard to be tense when you don't even know what's going on."
August didn't speak the local language. His interaction with Royman, the Guild Head, had been facilitated by Hestia and Hephaestus filling in the blanks. When the Gods were talking amongst themselves, August could only read their body language and facial expressions. The actual words went right over his head.
Unless they deliberately used divine authority to speak to him directly, the Gods just conversed in the common tongue of Orario.
"Hahaha, I actually forgot about that." Both Goddesses realized he was an outsider. He literally couldn't understand the people of this world.
The language barrier was a serious hurdle.
"Still... that Goddess of Beauty was sothing else," August admitted openly.
"Compared to Hestia's cute, petite charm, or Hephaestus's beautiful contrast... Freya's beauty was just visceral. She definitely lives up to the title."
Ignoring the male Gods who had been in the room, Freya's presence had been potent.
The mont he said that, both Goddesses stiffened.
Hephaestus in particular froze. Had August really just called her beautiful? It was the first ti anyone had ever openly complinted her appearance. She quietly tucked that small bit of praise away in her heart.
"If I hadn't received Hestia's Falna, just standing in the sa room as her would have been enough to enslave ," August stated grimly, crossing his arms.
Before coming here, August never really grasped the concept of a Goddess of Beauty. He used to think, So what if she's pretty? But seeing her in person changed everything. He felt his mind fracturing. It was as if his entire consciousness was being overwritten by the very concept of her existence. He had been pulled in instantly. If his [Charm/Fla Resistance] skill hadn't kicked in at the last second, he would have started drooling like an obsessed creep right there on the spot.
Fear... August now held a deep, cautious respect for the power of a Goddess of Beauty.
How do all those fanfic protagonists manage to resist a Goddess of Beauty without breaking a sweat?
He took one look at her, and his brain instantly flooded with the urge to sleep with her. To possess her. Without a dedicated resistance skill, any normal guy would embarrass himself the second she walked into the room.
The Goddess of Beauty was scary.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
"Never underestimate a God's innate divinity," Hestia warned gently, pulling him from his thoughts. "We stand at the apex of this world. Every God wields frightening power."
Hestia was thrilled to see that August had zero desire to get closer to Freya. The fact that her child didn't fall for that vixen was the best news she had heard all day.
She could tell August had carried a slight arrogance toward Gods before this. She made sure to educate him now. Looking down on Gods was a surefire way to get yourself killed in Orario.
"She is right, kid," Hephaestus chid in. "You might be from another world, but the rules of power are universal."
"Take , for example. I forge weapons. But if I unleash my full divine authority, I can use nature itself as a furnace to craft my gear. The peak of a God's authority is beyond mortal comprehension."
August ca from a peaceful era. Back on Earth, Gods were either worshipped from afar or dismissed as myths. He likely held a lingering skepticism toward them. But facing a real God with a dismissive mindset was begging for a death wish.
Pushed to its limits, divine authority was a force of nature.
August listened to their warnings, taking the lesson to heart. He had nearly lost his mind to Freya's passive charm alone.
"Understood. I'll be careful," he replied, burying whatever modern arrogance he had left.
Divine authority was God's bread and butter. Beings who had lived for hundreds of millions of years had long since mastered their craft.
"Though, speaking of that... right after [Charm/Fla Resistance] triggered, I actually felt a clear trace of mana."
Resisting the Goddess's charm had awakened sothing else. August could feel a foreign substance circulating within his body. It was distinct from his bloodstream. It felt more like an electric current weaving through his veins.
"Mana?" Hestia blinked.
She hadn't expected him to grasp the concept of mana so quickly. In this world, a mortal typically gained mana only after learning a spell or pushing themselves through grueling training to awaken a magical skill.
August had just t Freya, resisted her charm for a few seconds, and instantly generated a mana pool.
Having mana ant he could cast magic. For an adventurer, magic was an invaluable asset in the Dungeon. Right now, his only spell was [Healing Fire]—a restorative magic.
"As expected of my child!" Hestia stroked her chin, puffing her chest out with pride.
If her kid already had mana, he could walk the path of a mage. A solid start right out of the gate. Her little act of playing the fool had bought her boy the perfect environnt to grow.
Hephaestus watched the exchange in silence. He had gained a stat boost just from resisting Freya's passive charm.
His growth potential is absurd.
Normally, an adventurer has to fight monsters or endure brutal training to experience any sort of growth. To grow just by fighting off Freya's allure... he really is a monster in the making.
Hephaestus couldn't help but marvel at the talent standing in her workshop.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
For every 100 Power Stones = I'll drop an extra chapter!
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