3rd Person POV:
As Gojo approached the towering gates of Orario, he saw a long line of people—adventurers, merchants, some of them being beastfolk—waiting to be let through by heavily armed guards. Most were being questioned, checked, or told to wait their turn.
Gojo stared at a few beastfolk in fascination as he'd only seen them in anime or manga back in Japan.
Although to an outside observer it would look like he glanced due to the property of the six eyes to perceive a second as if it were a minute.
' Wow, this new world even has beastfolk.' Gojo thought.
Gojo then stood at the back for maybe five seconds.
Then he sighed.
"Yeah, no. I hate lines."
In a blink, he vanished.
One moment he was standing calmly behind a group of adventurers, the next he was already inside the city, leaning against a food stall, arms folded, crystal blue eyes scanning the crowd.
The guards at the gate froze, confused.
"Wait… where'd that white-haired guy go?!"
Meanwhile, Gojo popped a piece of fruit in his mouth and grinned.
"This place already has better snacks than Tokyo."
The food stall owner looked at the white haired man who had just sampled his merchandise incredulously.
"Are you gonna pay for that?" were the words that he wanted to say before he held himself back.
' Wait, a white haired man came out of thin air and took one of my fruits. That's not normal even in this city... maybe I'll let this one slide... but I can't just let him get off scot free or passersby will think I'm running a charity..." the stall owner thought.
After some deliberation, the shop owner decided to let Gojo off with a warning.
Gojo simply laughed it off and went to explore the city. Completely unbothered by the chaos he just created in front of the city gates.
Guards POV:
Captain Raul rubbed his eyes.
"I swear he was just here… white hair, blindfold, cocky expression... You all saw him too, right?"
One of the newer recruits nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah… but then he just disappeared. Like, poof. No magic circle. No chant. Nothing."
Another guard chimed in, "Teleportation without a chant? Is that even possible?!"
The captain narrowed his eyes, now scanning the crowd like Gojo might just reappear and say "Boo."
"Keep your eyes peeled," he muttered. "If that guy's not registered, he could be a spy, an assassin, or worse… "
Gojo POV:
After my interaction with the stall owner, I explored the city for a while, sampling a few snacks here and there, chatting with a few strangers when the opportunity came up. I managed to piece together some solid information.
Apparently, this place is called Orario—a city built around a massive, multi-layered dungeon teeming with monsters. Sounds like a dream for adrenaline junkies. But the kicker? The gods themselves came down from heaven, bored out of their minds, just to stir the pot. They sealed away their divine powers and started living among mortals, forming what they call "Familias." In exchange for loyalty or service or... whatever the arrangement is, these gods bestow their Falna, some kind of blessing that lets mortals level up by fighting monsters. Real RPG logic. Makes me wonder if someone's been reading too many light novels.
Anyway, I was chewing on that thought—and a frankly underwhelming meat skewer—when something caught my nose.
Fried starch and oil. Hot, greasy, irresistible. Like festival food without the annoying noise.
Then I heard her.
"Hot and crispy potato snacks! Get your piping hot potato rockets here!"
I turned my head, and there she was. Tiny. Loud. Curves that absolutely didn't match the rest of her build. Blue twin tails bouncing, blue ribbon tied under her arms in a way that made me question either fashion or gravity—maybe both.
She caught me staring.
"You look hungry!" she chirped, holding up a skewer like a prize. "First one's half off if you tell me your name!"
I raised an eyebrow. Goddess? Probably. Pushy? Definitely. Weirdly charming? ...Unfortunately, yes.
I strolled over, hands in my pockets, giving her a lazy smile. "That how you lure in all the handsome strangers? Offering half-off fried carbs?"
She grinned, completely unfazed. "Only the pretty ones. So, what's your name, tall, white-haired, suspiciously good-looking stranger?"
"Gojo," I said, taking the potato rocket from her hand. "Gojo Satoru. And you?"
She puffed up proudly, placing a hand on her chest—well, more like on them. "I'm the beautiful goddess of hearth and home! Hestia-sama!"
I bit into the potato rocket—crispy, salty, way better than I expected. "So you're a goddess, huh? I was starting to think this whole 'divine beings living among mortals' thing was a running joke."
Her expression twisted into a pout. "Hmph! I am a goddess! And if you're planning on freeloading, I've already got one mouth to feed. Unless... you're looking to join the Hestia Familia?"
I almost choked on the food. "Wow, straight to the recruitment pitch? You move fast."
"I have to," she said, puffing her cheeks. "We're small, okay? Just me and Bell—he's my first and only child. I'm doing my best out here!"
Something about the way she said it—genuine, fiery, just a bit desperate—struck a chord.
"Bell, huh?" I said, flicking the stick into a nearby bin. "So you're telling me, little miss goddess, that you're running a startup familia?"
She blinked. "...Yeah. That's exactly what it is."
I rubbed my chin, pretending to ponder. "That's kinda adorable."
Her eyes lit up. "So? Wanna join?"
"Maybe," I teased, turning to walk off. "I'll think about it. But thanks for the snack, Hestia-sama. It was divine."
She shouted something after me—I think it was "You better come back, Gojo!"—but I was already slipping into the crowd.
There was still a lot more to learn about this world... and I had a feeling things were about to get interesting.
??? POV:
Limitless.
That was the first word that came to mind when I glimpsed his soul.
A brilliant void had entered Orario hours ago, drawing even my gaze to it like a moth to flame.
But unlike a certain white-haired adventurer, his soul wasn't white.
And unlike a certain golden-haired warrior princess, it didn't blaze like sunlight.
No—his soul was something else.
Otherworldly.
Could it be him?
The one I've been waiting for all this time?
The reason I descended?
My O—
"OH NOOOOO!"
My eyes widened as I leaned closer to the divine mirror.
"Why is he talking to that loli goddess?!"
She already had the rabbit, and now she's eyeing him too?
If that happens...
"I might just kill her out of jealousy," I muttered darkly.
A presence stirred behind me.
A towering figure stepped into the room.
"Is something wrong, Goddess?" he asked, voice calm, respectful.
I turned to him slowly.
"Ottar," I began, "If I sent you to fight someone you couldn't defeat… what would you do?"
He didn't blink. "I would win."
I smiled faintly.
"Of course you would."