Hearing Roy's disappointed remark about his empty skill slot, Hestia chuckled, her eyes softening with a doting warmth, as if gazing at a naive child.
"Roy, you had high hopes, didn't you?"
It wasn't uncommon for adventurers to believe they were destined for greatness, only to be humbled by reality.
Hestia smiled gently, explaining, "Awakening skills right after receiving Falna is rare among adventurers. Most start with just the basic abilities."
She gestured to the sheet detailing Roy's Status—Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, and Magic—each starting at I (0), indicating zero progress.
Each ability had ten ranks, from S (highest) to I (lowest).
Basic abilities grew through actions, like combat or spellcasting, with each rank capped at 99 points.
Reaching 100 points would elevate an ability to H, while 900 or more could hit S.
The Guild's records pegged the upper limit at 999, though growth slowed drastically near that peak.
"Don't be discouraged," Hestia added, her voice brightening.
"You're already special! I was shocked—you have three magic slots. You're bound to become a top adventurer!"
Magic was a rare gift in the DanMachi world, typically innate to races like elves.
Falna bridged that gap, granting other races magical potential, but the number of magic slots varied.
Most adventurers unlocked one spell; two or three were exceptional, making them prime recruits for major Familias.
Roy's three slots marked him as a prodigy.
"With three magic slots, your future skills won't be ordinary," Hestia said confidently.
"I'm sure after some training, you'll awaken something unique."
"I think so too," Roy said, smiling. If natural growth fell short, he could always replicate others' skills.
Replicating divine powers, however, was off the table.
Despite earning 450,000 dimension points from Hestia, her sealed arcanum was too costly, far exceeding his nearly three million points.
In DanMachi, gods' sealed divine might was their ultimate asset.
Unleashed, it could devastate the world, as seen in the movie, where a monster harnessed a fraction of Artemis's power.
A fully unsealed god, Roy estimated, would rank among the top five—or even top three—in DxD's power hierarchy, outclassing Satans or pantheon gods and potentially rivaling the Two Heavenly Dragons at their peak.
Such immense power explained the steep replication cost.
"Our Familia starts here," Hestia said, her expression softening into a radiant, saintly smile—the epitome of a goddess.
Roy felt a flicker of awe at her divine aura.
"Let's register the Familia at the Guild," Roy said, pulling his shirt back on.
"Register?" Hestia blinked, her goddess-like poise vanishing, replaced by confusion.
"The Guild oversees Orario's Familias. Since the Hestia Familia's established, we need to report it," Roy explained.
Outside Orario, this might not apply, but within the city, it was standard protocol. Roy saw no reason to flout it.
"Grandpa, we're off!" Hestia called to the bookstore owner, thanking him before following Roy out.
Instead of heading straight to the Guild, Roy treated Hestia to lunch.
After a morning of fruitless Familia-hunting and the effort of bestowing Falna, Hestia was famished, her stomach growling audibly.
Roy couldn't let her face the Guild on an empty stomach, especially since it was likely on a lunch break.
They arrived at the Guild, finding Eina . "Roy, you've received Falna?" Eina asked, eyeing the petite goddess beside him.
"Yep! Roy's now a proud member of my Hestia Familia!" Hestia declared, puffing out her chest.
"Please register our Familia," Roy said.
Eina sighed inwardly at the speed of events but handed Hestia a form.
Hestia faltered at the "Familia residence" field—having lived at Hephaestus's place, she had no base.
"Any issues?" Eina asked, noticing Hestia's hesitation.
"The Familia's new, so we haven't secured a residence yet," Roy clarified.
"You can leave it blank for now and update it later," Eina said, smiling.
Relieved, Hestia handed back the form, which Eina filed.
Roy, thinking ahead, asked, "Miss Eina, know any quick ways to make money in Orario?"
"Exploration adventurers earn Valis by killing dungeon monsters for magic stones and materials, then trading them at the exchange," Eina said, pointing to the Guild's exchange counter.
"You can also take commissions." She gestured to a bulletin board plastered with parchment notices.
"But commissions are tough for rookies. I'd suggest starting on the dungeon's first floor to get your bearings."
"Too slow," Roy said, shaking his head. His 200,000 Valis wouldn't cover a house.
Eina's mouth twitched.
If quick money was that easy, I'd be rich, she thought.
Weren't you acting like a wealthy heir this morning? Why fret over funds? Runaway noble, maybe?
"Quick money?" A pink-haired human girl from the next counter leaned over, intrigued.
"Rookies have few options for fast cash, but there are a couple."
"Misha, mind your own counter," Eina scolded.
"It's dead this afternoon," Misha mumbled.
"What options?" Roy asked, curious.
"Casinos, arenas, that sort," Misha said offhandedly.
Read advance chapters at:
200 Stones = 1 chapter
400 Stones = 2 chapter