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Since ancient times, there have been mysterious underground labyrinths in the lower world known as "dungeons."
These dungeons will breed monsters, which will emerge on the surface, spreading slaughter and chaos.
moved by the people suffering the gods took pity on them and sent their divine avatars—great spirits known as the "first Familia"—to aid humanity.
Until the gods' numerous interventions yielded bad results, But eventually, the consequences of too much divine interference became clear.
So the gods made a decision:
They would no longer directly meddle in human affairs.
They sealed away their divine powers and descended to the mortal realm, and constructed a system that allowed humans to surpass their limits—The Falna (神の恩恵 – Kami no Onkei).
Using divine blood as a catalyst, they could awaken a "vessel" in their chosen mortals, allowing them to contain more Excelia. thereby, using even stronger power than their bodies normally could.
Thus, the Familia myth was born.
And at the heart of this world . This city is called Orario - it is known as the center of the world —a metropolis built directly atop a massive dungeon.
Adventurers from all across the globe gather here—humans, demi-humans, elves, and more.
Among this is Meteria, a member of the 'world's strongest' Familia, the Hera Familia.
As a part of the most powerful Familia, she should logically be a mighty warrior. Even if she appeared weak , she should possess strength capable of uprooting tree.
However... reality was cruel.
Meteria had no talent for being an adventurer.
Worse of all after receiving Falna, she awakened a rare and tragic negative skill.
It caused her life force to constantly drain—as if she were bleeding out slowly and endlessly.
Over time, the effects only worsened, impact of negative skills would become greater and greater. Even props could not completely suppress the effects of negative skills, which caused her body to be extremely weak.
"Cough, cough…"
While talking, She suddenly broke into a fit of coughing mid-sentence.
Looking at her weak appearance, Ronen was a little at a loss. unsure of what to do.
"It's alright, I'm used to it,"
Meteria smiled weakly, her voice soft as a breeze.
Only then that Ronen noticed that her face had an unhealthy paleness.
This is what is commonly known as a classic sickly young lady... huh he thought.
Despite her own suffering, she still trying to comfort him.
Thinking of this, Ronen lowered his head. He felt ashamed at his earlier suspicion of her.
"More importantly, where did you come from?"
Meteria gestured curiously, and it took Ronen a while to understand the meaning of this question.
This...how should I answer?
After a brief moment of thought, he pointed to the sky.
"From... the heavens?"
Meteria blinked in surprise.
"But... no. You're not a god."
There was a fundamental difference between gods and mortals.
Even when stripped of power, the presence of a god was unmistakable—something about them simply felt divine. as long as you see a god, you will have an inexplicable impression that "ah, this is a god."
Especially since gods are perfect for mortals, this is not reflected in their personal appearance. Their bodies were flawless.
Although there are still differences in height, weight, young and old, the bodies of gods are perfect. Even their imperfections were known as "Divine Flaws" which are completely different from those of humans.
The most obvious point and clearest distinction? Gods didn't need to use the toilet.
It was clearly obvious that Ronen was not a god
For a moment, she was unable to comprehend his gestures, Meteria seemed a bit disappointed.
"It's so strange that there are people in this world who doesn't understand the Common Tongue or the Divine Language? so strange..."
She mumbled to herself.
Meteria had only ever spoken two languages—the continent's Common Tongue, and the sacred language of the gods.
But Ronen didn't understand any of it, Even his language was also 'unknown'.
Where is he from?
How come he arrived in Orario like this?
These riddles and Various mysteries in her mind. Fill her heart with curiosity making her feel itchy, she couldn't scratch.
She asked several times. Even then, she couldn't guess where he might be from.
It's just like those stories…
Meteria loved heroic tales and fairy tales.
Thinking back to the plot of a certain story, it was like picking up a 'hero' from his weak period and then unfolding a heroic love story...
where the heroine finds a fallen, weakened hero and nurses him back to health, then they fall in love...kaaay!!!
Her cheeks flushed slightly at the thought.
She snuck a glance at Ronen—only to find him already looking at her.
Seeing Ronen's puzzled look, her face grew even redder.
Was this a peek that was discovered?? So embarrassing...
She gently patted her cheeks and pulled herself together, flashing him a gentle smile.
And seeing that smile, Ronen's own worries faded.
Even if I had no other choice, just seeing her smile... makes me feel like my heart is being purified.
So soft. So kind. So gentle.
"Oh, Right! wait just a moment."
As if remembering something, Meteria picked up a crystal lamp and stepped through a nearby door.
When he was alone, Ronen couldn't help but have random thoughts.
He was both anxious and curious—his mind a swirl of fear of the unknown and the flutter of youthful fantasies.
After a while, Meteria appeared in front of Ronen holding a book, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Were you scared being alone?"
She tilted her head, sticking her tongue out playfully.
Meteria patted the chair enthusiastically and hooked her finger in an invitational gesture, the meaning was already very clear. Her expression made Ronen feel a little embarrassed.
Ronen sat down, slightly puzzled.
Then he noticed the book on the table—it was filled with colorful drawings and illustrations.
A children's picture book...?
"I'll teach you the Common Tongue."
Meteria smiled and opened the book, revealing pages filled with basic objects and animals.
"This word is water. Wa-ter~"
Her voice was soft and ticklish.
She was clearly not used to teaching, and her method was clumsy.
They sat close. that Ronen could even feel the temperature of the other's breath. Occasionally, he would touch her fingers, which made him feel a little chaotic emotions inside. It made his heart race.
But he quickly focused calmed down—this was an opportunity.
If he could learn the language, his chances of survival in this world would go up drastically.
After studying carefully, Ronen quickly memorized the contents of the book.
He studied hard, and thanks to his sharp memory, it didn't take long . He wasn't a child after all.
Reading aloud once, silently repeating it once, and following along one more time was enough to commit it to memory.
Meteria seemed very astonished by this?
It seems that in another world, his speed of learning looked as remarkable.
Don't they have magical tool or magic for learning here...?But the lamp there does look magical. I mean the crystal is literally light up the room
It seems.. the magic system of this world was still in an ancient stage of development ..huh
"Ronen is good job,"
She said with a smile, Meteria pronounced Ronen's name with difficulty while gently ruffling his hair. "That's amazing "
"You're really, really good!"
She treated him like a child, and though it made Ronen a bit speechless... it also felt warmed and really happy in his heart.
Ah, this... has he become a wild cat tamed by a beautiful girl?
But... Honestly...
It didn't feel bad at all.
So comfortable~