Hestia ran out of the house, her face brimming with excitent as she greeted everyone. Ren Isana glanced at the girls, then turned to Bell. "No need to be so polite. Since you've joined the Familia, we're all on the sa team now."
Hearing this, Bell let out a sheepish chuckle, the tension in his heart dissipating slightly. It seed this captain was quite easy to talk to.
"What do you an 'on the sa team'? Isn't that phrasing a bit weird? You make us sound like so shady gang!" Shizuka Hiratsuka, however, had dark lines forming on her forehead upon hearing Ren's words.
"Don't sweat the details. Hestia, did you really only find two new mbers?" Ren waved his hand dismissively, not bothering to argue with Shizuka. Instead, he looked at the visibly excited Hestia.
Faced with Ren's question, Hestia scratched her cheek sowhat sheepishly. "Actually, I only found one—Bell. Natsuki was the one who brought Haruhi back."
Hestia then recounted how Natsuki Minamiya and Yor Forger had picked up Haruhi. She conveniently omitted the fact that Haruhi ca from the Pleasure Quarter, though Ren was already fully aware of it.
*Hestia probably left that out to prevent everyone from thinking she's so sort of weirdo,* Ren thought. *In reality, she's as pure as they co.*
Ren didn't pry into the matter. If Hestia didn't want to bring it up, he naturally wasn't going to ask.
Haruhi stepped forward at this mont, greeting everyone with a hint of trepidation. She had heard Hestia's explanation just now and noticed that the goddess hadn't ntioned a single thing about her background.
*Is she afraid these people won't be able to accept as a new mber?* This thought left Haruhi feeling a bit uneasy. Ren looked at her and took the initiative to introduce himself. "Hello, I'm Ren Isana, the captain of the Hestia Familia."
Hearing Ren's words, Haruhi hurriedly replied, "Greetings, Ren-sama. I am Haruhi Sanjouno... I co from..."
"Where you co from isn't important. What matters is that you're a mber of the Hestia Familia now," Ren said, directly cutting off whatever Haruhi was about to say. "Yukino, gumi Kato, Asuna—she's practically your fellow countrywoman in this world. You guys should get to know her."
*This girl was really about to spill her entire backstory,* Ren mused. He didn't actually care about her past, but if she blurted out that she ca from the Pleasure Quarter, the male students would undoubtedly start asking all sorts of annoying questions.
Called out by Ren, Yukino, gumi, and Asuna all paused for a mont. *A fellow countrywoman in this world? Sanjouno? That surna?* If that was the case, it really did sound like the naming style from the Sakura District.
*But this world's Sakura District actually has fox girls?* Brimming with curiosity, Asuna stepped forward. "Hello there! I'm Asuna Yuuki, it's a pleasure to et you. You can just call Asuna from now on. Is it alright if I call you Haruhi?"
Asuna greeted her with a very gentle deanor. Recalling Ren's reassuring words and seeing Asuna's warm approach, Haruhi smiled and nodded.
She now had a basic understanding of Ren—he was a very gentle captain. This realization lted away a bit more of her anxiety, and Haruhi imdiately began chatting with Asuna.
The other girls couldn't contain their curiosity either and crowded around, asking Haruhi all sorts of questions. After all... she was a real-life fox girl! The boys, naturally, were even more eager and wanted to co over and chat with her too.
This was a fox girl! A fox girl on the sa level as legendary figures like Daji or Ahri! It was simply too intriguing. If she wasn't currently surrounded by the girls, she would have definitely been mobbed by the boys.
And then... she would probably faint on the spot. After all, she had a bit of androphobia. A fox girl who could pass out just from seeing a man's collarbone—it was honestly a bit of a sha. It seed the guys would have to make sure they were always fully buttoned up around her.
"Ren, you guys go rest up! I'll have soone start making dinner right away!" Seeing that the new mbers had been introduced, Hestia quickly chid in before scurrying off.
Since Ren and the others had returned earlier than expected, dinner hadn't been prepared yet. As the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia was absolutely certain they hadn't eaten, so she ran off without another word to get the kitchen staff working.
Watching Hestia leave, Ren didn't say anything. While the girls were busy fawning over Haruhi, the boys naturally flocked around Bell. Everyone was full of curiosity about this middle-school-aged kid.
Bell was a bit nervous chatting with his new seniors, but he quickly realized that even though they were older than him, they were all very easygoing.
"How was the harvest this ti?" Natsuki Minamiya asked, twirling her small parasol as she walked up to Ren. She was quite invested in the growth of these students.
"A massive haul. We fard a ton of monsters in the Dungeon this ti. If nothing goes wrong, everyone should be able to break through to Tier 4 once they update their status," Ren reported.
Hearing this, Natsuki, Yor, and Shizuka imdiately swept their gazes over the students present. After carefully sensing everyone's condition, the three of them understood.
Ren wasn't exaggerating; it was the truth. Everyone was on the verge of hitting Tier 4. After inspecting the rest of the class, the three teachers simultaneously shifted their focus to Ren.
"You're getting close too," Natsuki said, looking at Ren with imnse satisfaction. His aura had grown significantly stronger. It probably wouldn't be long before he broke through as well, which ant Ren would finally be able to learn Advanced Magic.
With that in mind, Natsuki continued, "Once you reach Tier 5, I'll teach you Advanced Spatial Magic. Also, consider your assessnt passed. After you all update your statuses, take so ti to properly consolidate your strength before heading out again."
Ren looked at her in confusion. *We had an assessnt?* He wasn't the only one wondering; the rest of the class had also turned their attention over upon hearing this.
None of them knew about this. Rina-sensei had never ntioned anything of the sort. Everyone was suddenly bewildered, not quite understanding what Natsuki ant.
"Aside from gaining combat experience, your ti here ca with a specific assessnt: the entire class must break through to Tier 4. Now that you've essentially passed, you'll officially be university students once you return," Natsuki explained.
The crowd was completely dumbfounded. Sora couldn't help but blurt out, "Wait, does that an we don't have to take the college entrance exams?"
Normally, getting into a university required taking the grueling national exams. But now Natsuki was telling them they had passed their assessnt? Did that an they were exempt from the exams entirely?
"What you are doing right now *is* your college entrance exam. And all of you have passed!" Natsuki didn't show any impatience as she revealed the truth. Coming to this world to train was their exam.
In reality, every student in this class was a guaranteed admission candidate. After all the effort Director Ken had put into gathering these specific students, how could he possibly make them take the standard written exams like ordinary students?
Everyone was stunned. *So this was our entrance exam!* Once the reality set in, the class erupted into cheers. After all, they had just cleared one of the biggest hurdles in a student's life.
"Sensei, Sensei! Which university are we going to?" soone eagerly asked, wanting to know where they would be spending their college years now that they had passed.
Natsuki stated the na of the school, fully confident that not a single person would reject it.
"Dinsional Nexus University. You should all be very familiar with that na." The mont Natsuki spoke those words, the sheer delight on many of the students' faces beca impossible to hide.
Ren was equally surprised. From what he knew, this was the absolute best university in their world. Its very na represented everything.
The university was situated on an island, and that island was connected to nurous Dinsional Rifts. That was exactly how it had earned its na.
"Hell yeah!"
"Holy crap, I'm gonna be the pride of my entire bloodline!!"
"We actually got into *that* university?!"
The students were ecstatic. This was simply too incredible!
Watching the overjoyed students, the corners of Natsuki's mouth curled up slightly. She didn't interrupt their celebration, choosing instead to watch quietly.
Bell and Haruhi, however, were completely lost. They had no idea what their seniors were so excited about. Had sothing amazing just happened?
"Alright, calm down, everyone. Save the excitent for when we actually get back. For now, co with and help sort out the materials." Ren didn't share Natsuki's sentintality. After letting them cheer for a bit, he ruthlessly cut the celebration short.
*Are you happy? Good, now get to work.* Sorting the materials now, then eating dinner, and finally taking a hot shower—it was the perfect schedule.
Ren's words slowly brought everyone back down to earth. He was right; it was too early to celebrate. It would be much better to share this excitent with their parents once they returned ho!
Having said his piece, Ren walked straight toward the room they used for forging weapons. Seeing this, the others quickly followed suit, even dragging Bell and Haruhi along.
Upon entering, Ren imdiately began dumping out batches of Magic Stones and monster materials. The others who had Spatial Backpacks also stepped forward, emptying out the loot Ren had entrusted to them.
Bell and Haruhi stared in dumbfounded shock as the materials and Magic Stones instantly ford two small mountains. The sheer volu of Magic Stones was practically blinding.
*There's this much?! And what kind of backpacks are those? How can they hold so many things?!* The two locals stood there with their jaws hanging open, unable to believe their eyes.
"Let's get to work. Grab so crates and sort out all the low and mid-grade Magic Stones and materials. You all know the drill, right?" Ren asked, looking at the group.
Everyone nodded. Of course they knew what to do; there was no need for Ren to explain it again. The boys ran off to count the Magic Stones, while the girls went to sort the materials.
Once sorted, the items would be packed back into the Spatial Backpacks to be sold at the Guild in one massive batch. As everyone sprang into action, Bell and Haruhi hurriedly rushed over to help.
With over forty people working together, the process was incredibly fast. Furthermore, everyone's [Perception Magic] played a huge role here. Through their combined efforts, it took just over an hour to completely sort the massive pile of loot.
Sorting and packing simultaneously, the only Magic Stones and materials left on the floor were the rare and high-grade ones. Ren didn't hesitate to store all of these away for himself.
"Done. Tomorrow, after we sell this off, I'll go buy a new batch of crafting materials and upgrade everyone's weapons. Oh, and Bell, Haruhi—I'll forge weapons for the two of you tomorrow as well. Consider it a perk of joining the Hestia Familia." Ren clapped his hands together after packing everything away.
Bell's eyes imdiately lit up. "Thank you, Captain! I'll be in your care!" he bowed hurriedly.
During his short ti at the Hestia Familia estate, he had heard plenty of stories about Ren. A super-powerful captain who could learn any magic instantly, forge weapons, and brew potions.
In Bell's eyes, Ren was practically omnipotent. Now that he had finally t the man in person, his gaze was filled with even more intense admiration!
Haruhi also quickly expressed her gratitude, not refusing the offer. Over the past few days, aside from teaching her magic, Natsuki had also imparted a great deal of general knowledge to her, hoping to help her grow stronger.
"Alright, let's all go eat first. After that, take a shower and get your statuses updated. If all goes well, everyone is about to break through." ntioning this, Ren couldn't help but smirk.
Even though he hadn't reached the threshold for a breakthrough himself, the others had. That ant everyone would soon be able to learn even more advanced techniques. And besides that... there would probably be people itching to challenge him to a fight again, right?
The thought made Ren quite happy. After all, it ant he'd get to ruthlessly beat soone up again. When it ca to thrashing his classmates, Ren was dead serious!
Hearing Ren's reminder, the class grew excited once more. Without hesitation, everyone headed toward the dining hall, ready to eat.
Hestia had been keeping a close eye on the dining hall the entire ti. She was just about to go call them when everyone suddenly showed up. "Perfect timing! Dinner is ready!" she eagerly announced.
"Thanks for the hard work, Hestia-chan!" Sora greeted with a cheeky grin. The mouth-watering aroma of food already filled the air, and having skipped lunch, everyone was absolutely starving.
After greeting Hestia, everyone lined up to get their food, ready to dig into the feast. Even though it had only taken a little over an hour, the spread was incredibly lavish. So of the dishes had clearly been prepped well in advance; otherwise, they wouldn't have been ready so quickly.
The dining hall beca incredibly lively as everyone sat together, enjoying the delicious al. Hestia took a seat next to Ren and the girls, chatting with him as they ate.
Recounting their battles in the Dungeon made for a great story. With a bit of artistic embellishnt, the tales left Bell—who had never set foot in the Dungeon—completely spellbound. It only fueled his desire to go adventuring in the Dungeon even more.
"Hestia, update everyone's status later. If everything goes as expected, their strength should break through to Lv.4 once the updates are done," Ren inford her.
Hearing this, Hestia nodded excitedly. "Okay, that's amazing! Hehehe... Over forty Lv.4 mbers! Not even that Flat-chest has that many!"
Hestia was absolutely thrilled. If word got out, it would probably scare the living daylights out of quite a few deities. At the sa ti, she made up her mind—at the next Denatus, she was going to brag her heart out.
She also needed to secure so incredibly badass aliases for everyone. After all, they were so strong now; how could they go without proper titles? She just hoped those other gods wouldn't ss around and give them a bunch of ridiculous, nonsensical nas.
If they did, she would be furious. And the consequences of her anger were very severe! *I hope those guys know what's good for them,* Hestia thought, suddenly breaking into a goofy, silly giggle.
Ren, Asuna, and the others stared speechlessly at the giggling goddess. However, no one bothered to interrupt her. She was probably just lost in so wild fantasy. As long as she wasn't actually sick, it was fine.
And if she *was* sick in the head, it was probably incurable anyway. Even if she was cured, she'd probably still drool. It was better to just let her keep giggling.
Everyone buried their heads in their food. It wasn't long before so finished eating. After saying a quick goodbye to Ren, they imdiately left the dining hall and rushed back to their rooms to wash up.
Many of the students were actually incredibly anxious about their impending breakthroughs. They were just one step away—who could possibly hold back? Naturally, the best course of action was to finish dinner early, shower quickly, and get ready!
Seeing people finish one after another, Ren also sped up his eating. Hestia only just realized what was happening and cried out, "Good grief, what's the rush?! Eat slowly!"
She didn't understand what these people were doing. She hadn't even given a celebratory toast yet, and they were already done? It was like a boss getting ready to propose a toast, only to find that everyone had already finished their food and bolted!
"They all went back to shower so they can wait for you to update their statuses and help them break through. Once their stomachs are full, who has the patience to stick around?" Ren explained between bites.
Hearing this, Hestia felt a bit helpless, but there was nothing she could do. Left with no other choice, she sped up her own eating so she could get ready to update everyone's status boards.
After finishing his al, Ren left straight away as well. He needed to take a shower and change his clothes. Even though he washed the clothes he brought with him every day, drying them with magic in a place like the Dungeon still left them slling a bit funky.
After all, how clean could you really get your clothes down there? So adventurers didn't even bother bathing at all. It was only because Ren and his classmates were sticklers for hygiene that they insisted on showering every single day!
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