Leaving the guild, he walked to Blue Pharmacy, finding the neighborhood as deserted as his own. Looking at the building that was clearly not blue, he entered as the doorbell rang.
Inside the shop, racks filled with different types of potions were arranged to efficiently use the little space available. Hearing the bell, the sleepy Naaza woke up, opened her eyes, and replied in a drowsy voice, "Akira-san, are you going to the dungeon again?"
"Well, I already went to the dungeon. This time I'm here to give you a gift." Akira tossed her the orange magic stone.
Naaza caught the stone, still maintaining her sleepy expression as she studied it. But the way her tail swung left and right made Akira guess she was excited. She looked at him and asked, "Is it the Angel Stone everyone is talking about?"
"Well, that's what I was told by the guild."
Placing the stone back on the table, she pushed it forward.
"Then you should know its value. A gift this big—there's no way I can take this from my savior."
"Are you sure? I heard Airmid has already developed an elixir with increased effectiveness." Seeing her hesitate but still push the stone away, Akira felt he might have to make her give something in return.
Looking around, he thought about what she could offer. Potions were out of the question—researching potions would waste money—so he had to take something that wouldn't hurt her financially. Spotting two empty shelves, each about half a meter long, he had an idea.
Pointing at the shelves, he said, "How about I rent out those shelves for a week?"
Looking at them, she replied, "The rent is not that much."
"Okay, then I'll rent them for a month." Seeing her hesitate, Akira placed the stone on her palm. "Now don't say anything and accept it. You're a talented pharmacist, and I'm sure you can make better use of it than anyone."
"Thanks." Naaza took the stone. Her voice and expression remained sleepy, but her tail couldn't hide her happiness. She continued, "I will try not to disappoint you."
After buying two health potions and two magic potions, paying 18,400 valis, he waved her goodbye. Having finished his errands for the day, he walked home, wondering what Hestia would do with all the furniture.
-----------------------------------
Magnificent—that was the only word to describe the statue Hestia had molded from wood. She had spent her entire morning and afternoon working on this one piece.
'This running form... even though it's only wood with no paint, it's as if she's running past her limit.'
Akira took a closer look at the face of Agnes Tachyon. The smile of someone at the very peak of her potential was clearly visible. Hestia had even applied a clear coating to make sweat drops. Looking down, he could see the impact crater pressed into the grass field as if she had taken her final step.
"How is it?" Hestia asked proudly, hands on her waist.
"The best statue I've ever seen in any world," Akira complimented.
"But why Agnes Tachyon? Wasn't Jungle Pocket your favorite?" Akira asked.
"Of course, but Akira-kun's favorite is Agnes. So, of course, Agnes's statue would be first," Hestia replied.
'First… that means there will be others in the future. My lazy goddess has become so hardworking. Well, NEETs can be very energetic when it comes to their waifu' Akira thought.
"Now, where are we going to put it?" Akira picked up the 5'8" statue (base included), surprised at how light it was.
"It isn't painted yet," Hestia said, making him put it back down.
"Oh? Hestia-sama, which paints do you need?" Akira offered to buy paints from Orario. If not, he had some in his inventory, but they might not be enough for future use.
"I was thinking Akira-kun could do it," Hestia requested, remembering his earlier work. "Like you did with the manga-thing. I'm sure you can paint it."
'That was a whole different thing… but painting a statue—it might be my first time, but it sounds fun.' Akira thought.
"Okay, but Hestia-sama has to make one more statue in return," Akira bargained. Hestia happily agreed.
As dusk settled in, they decided to postpone the work for tomorrow. Setting the statue on the church floor, Akira remarked on how good it looked, saying he could watch it all night.
"Of course—after all, it was made by me." Hestia crossed her arms, proud of her art.
"It would've been better if we had any seats to sit on." Akira joked, causing Hestia to sweatdrop.
"Tomorrow… tomorrow…" she muttered.
"Well, now that's done, I think I'm ready to get my falna updated, Hestia-sama."
Excited, Hestia pulled him to their room. Akira took off his kimono shirt, revealing his bandage-covered torso and arms, then lay face down on the bed. Seeing his injuries, Hestia decided not to sit on his back.
'You've struggled a lot, Akira-kun. I'm sure the journey was painful, but now all those experiences will turn into your power.'
Hestia solemnly pricked her finger, letting a drop of blood fall onto his back. As the bandages soaked it, the blood seeped into his falna, making it glow.
The Hestia Familia's mark lit up, projecting his status. As the numbers climbed higher and higher, Hestia's solemn gaze twisted into shock.
"Heengh!" Hearing Hestia's cry, Akira grew worried. He thought the falna might not work on him since he was an outsider. He turned his head.
"What's wrong, Hestia-sama?"
"It's incredible, Akira-kun—you have a bunch of new skills, your status is maxed out, and you can even rank up! Should I rank you up?" Her eyes shined with excitement in the glow of the falna.
"No, no. I want to see my skills first. After that, I'll level up so I can choose a better development skill."
"Okay." Pushing the projection back into him, she placed a sheet on his back. With her finger, she drew a circle on it, and the falna glowed to print his status.
"Here."
Name: Akira Akatsuki
Level: 1
Strength: S999
Endurance: S999
Dexterity: S999
Agility: S999
Magic: S999
Skills:
1. Cosplay
2. Battle Instinct
Magic:
1. Enchant: "By thread of form and breath of soul, Let essence drift and make whole. From bearer true to vessel near, I bind what was to what is here. Essence entwine, object awake—A second life within thee take."
2. Rune Magecraft
[]
'Enchant would be my original cheat. Now I have to do a chuunibyou chant. As for Rune Magecraft, that would be what Shishou taught me. Battle Instinct must be what I felt while aiming for the magic stone. That leaves Cosplay… is it really that simple?' he thought.
Hestia, with stars in her eyes, shook him out of his daze.
"Show me the Cosplay skill!"
"Hestia-sama, you know what the skills do?" Akira asked, confused by her excitement.
"Of course! Every skill has a description that gods can interpret." Hestia thumped her chest proudly.
'Why is she proud of a skill every god can do…' Akira smiled wryly.
"Now show me!" Hestia's eyes sparkled as she leaned close to his face.
"Okay, okay, I understand." Akira pushed her face back. Getting off the bed, he stood up. Using his inventory, he switched his clothes.
Hestia couldn't even register the change—one moment he was wearing purple pants, and the next, a dark green samue. Over it, he wore a black haori with a white diamond pattern along the bottom half. In his hand was a fan, which he used to hide his face. On his feet were traditional Japanese wooden sandals (geta), and atop his head sat a striped dark green and white bucket hat that shadowed his eyes.
"Whose getup is this?" Hestia asked, baffled by his choice. She didn't think anyone powerful would dress like that.
Akira covered his mouth with his fan, spun his cane with his other hand, and replied as if the answer was obvious, "Can't you guess? I'm just a plain old candy-store owner."
This outfit wasn't enchanted by him. He had made ten of them for enchanting, to acquire Urahara Kisuke's skill. Normally, when he wore it, nothing happened. But today was different.
He took out the blade hidden in the cane.
"Awaken," he murmured.
The blade shifted into the form of a sleek, medium-sized sword. Akira recognized it instantly—it was Benihime, Kisuke's Shikai.
"Chikasumi no Tate (Blood Mist Shield)."
A crimson hexagon-shaped barrier formed in front of the blade.
"What kind of candy-store owner carries weapons like that?" Hestia complained, making Akira smile.
Tapping the shield, he found it solid. Holding it in his left hand, he punched it with his right.
Bang!!!
No damage.
Bang!!!
Cracks appeared.
Bang!!!
It shattered apart.
'So, three full-power strikes. Pretty good, I'd say. As for Bankai… I think I'll need to be a better cosplayer.' Akira thought, reverting his clothes back to his kimono shirt and purple pants.
"Wow… who was that?" Hestia asked, curious about his cosplay.
"That was one of my friend's cosplays. He's also a character in a manga," Akira explained.
"Character in a manga?" Hestia tilted her head, confused. According to his earlier explanation manga were just fictional stories made for entertainment.
"Oh, fictional stories in one universe can be another reality," Akira said. He immediately realized what she would ask next.
"Then this world…" Hestia hesitated.
"Of course, it exists—but I wouldn't dwell on it. Although the goddess sent me here under the excuse of a vacation, I wouldn't be surprised if she asked me to fight world-ending threats derailing the whole story. That's another reason I want to be strong." Laying back down on the bed, he said, "I want to rank up."
"Okay." Lost in thought, Hestia updated his falna again.
"What development ability do you want? It shows [Mage], [Hunter], [Mystery], [Lancer], and [Spearman]."
"Mage is boring, so it's out. Hunter would make fighting too easy—where's the fun in that? Lancer makes my instincts scream bad luck. Spearman is pointless since Cosplay lets me use many different weapons. That leaves Mystery—the ability to make magic items and activate miracles. I choose Mystery, Hestia-sama." Akira explained his thought aloud to make Hestia part of the decision.
"Okay." Hestia selected [Mystery], and the rank-up activated. Seeing the stats reset to I0 and then climb to absurd levels, Hestia's heart swelled with pride. Her child's struggles were finally rewarded.
"Your stats and excelia are enough for another rank up. I'll first show you your status, then you can decide."
She placed another sheet on his back to print it.
Name: Akira Akatsuki
Level: 2
Strength: A842
Endurance: S999
Dexterity: S999
Agility: S999
Magic: A870
Mystery: I
Skills:
1. Cosplay
2. Battle Instinct
Magic:
1. Enchant: "By thread of form and breath of soul, Let essence drift and make whole. From bearer true to vessel near, I bind what was to what is here. Essence entwine, object awake—A second life within thee take."
2. Rune Magecraft
[]
'I bet most of this came from my first fight.' Akira thought.
"I'll rank up again after maximizing my stats. For now, let's feast in honor of my rank up." Akira picked up his clothes.
At the mention of a feast, Hestia's excitement soared. She looped her arms through his.
"At the dinner, you could tell me about the story of this world you read."
"It won't be fun if you knew," Akira teased with a mischievous smile. "But if you want, I can tell you the name of the story. Do you want to know?"
"I want to know!" Hestia nodded rapidly.
"It's called Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? In short: Danmachi."
Hestia screamed in shock, and on their way to the Hostess of Fertility, she pestered him endlessly to tell her the story.
.........................
(A/N: It has been so long that I wrote something by myself that I feel I forgot how to write. Any advice to improve would be a huge help)
You can Support me on p@treon: [email protected]/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
I mainly translate other fanfics on there.