Clack!
A long convoy of carriages rolled down a dirt road. Guards marched alongside them, heavily armed and alert for anything hiding in the surrounding forest. Most carriages were loaded with cargo, but a few carried passengers.
At the end of the convoy, a black passenger carriage stood out. Cargo wagons were packed before and behind it, and it had the largest guard detail.
Inside, our protagonist slept blissfully. As a ray of sunlight slipped through the glass window warmed his face, Akira knew it was time to wake.
"YAWN~~" Akira sat up, realizing he was inside a carriage. Beside him sat Hestia; opposite him were Hephaestus and Tsubaki. He stretched, feeling completely refreshed.
"Good morning, everyone."
"It's too late for morning—it's almost afternoon," Tsubaki replied, amused by his casual tone.
"What time is it?" he asked while rolling his neck.
"Around 11:00 AM," she answered.
"Well, that's morning to me." He kept his eyes closed, giving them a bit more rest.
"AKIRA-KUN!!" Hestia grabbed him. "You should rest more! You were seriously injured when I found you!"
Akira gently patted her back. "I feel great, Hestia-sama. But where are we? And what about the third trial?"
"It's a long story. Let me explain…" Hestia handed him a wet towel.
"After the second trial, the barrier around Orario weakened so much that Freya Familia managed to punch a hole through it. So guild decided that everyone except the top adventurers and Ouranos would evacuate to Melen. That way the highest elites can fight in the city without worry. As for the third trial—it should start any minute now."
'That wasn't long at all.' Akira thought.
"Did everyone evacuate? Even the stubborn people in Daedalus Street?"
Tsubaki smirked remebering the memory. "Yes, even they left. Funny story—some idiot magician froze a ton of rats and forgot to clean them up. After the heatwave from the second trial, the ice melted and left wet, rotting rats everywhere. Under the sun, the smell was so disgusting nobody could stand being in the district."
"That's good."
Akira stood, stretching his back. "Now I should get going."
"Where are you going?" Hestia grabbed the edge of his samue.
"Orario."
He felt great—sleep restored his mind, and whoever treated him had done excellent work as his body felt full of power. His arms, torso, and legs were wrapped in pure white bandages. He planned to remove them later as they might hinder his movements.
"Didn't you hear what I said? Only the top adventurers are still in Orario. They're strong enough. They don't need your help." Hestia could imagine the scale of the fight waiting in the last trial, and there was no way she could think that he would return unharmed.
"Hestia-sama, no matter how strong someone is, there always comes a time when they need help. And I want to be the person who helps them. That's the kind of man I want to be." Akira smiled, patting her head.
In his heart, there was another concern. He had formed bonds with many people in this world. Some of them were strong so they would definitely be fighting in Orario. And he remembered a certain reckless elf who would surely be there despite not being strong enough yet.
A hand wrapped around his shoulder and dragged him into a soft embrace.
"You're fearless—going that far to help people you barely know," Tsubaki said.
"Well, I can only do that because I know you and Hephaestus-sama will protect Hestia-sama while I'm away." He bowed politely. "Thank you for taking care of her. I know it's presumptuous, but please look after her a little longer."
"Okay, okay… but in exchange, you need to fulfill my request." Hephaestus asked.
"Anything for you."
"Your spear. I want to study it."
"It's a precious gift from my sensei. If you promise to return it, you can have it." His tone carried genuine worry.
Seeing this, Hephaestus reassured him, "Don't worry. I'll return it exactly as it was."
"Then it's fine."
"As for me just give me same wine you had at the party in Hostess Of Fertility." Tsubaki licked her lips remebering the heavenly taste of the wine. It was so intoxicating that she had control her impulses to store some for special occasions.
"That's fine too."
He turned to Hestia, who had her head lowered. Thinking she was worried, he patted her again. "Hestia-sama, don't—"
Hestia pushed his hand away. She looked at him suspiciously, one finger under her chin. "Akira-kun… did you try to fool my lie detection?"
"What do you mean?" Akira asked, happy that she wasn't sulking.
"What you said about helping people—that's not the whole reason, is it?"
"Oh? You noticed?" He blinked, genuinely surprised. "Hestia-sama, you've grown smarter. I'm proud of you."
"Muu… stop teasing me! Tell me the real reason!" She puffed her cheeks.
"Well… it's a desire. A common desire all men have." He clenched his fist, eyes burning with passion.
"The desire to protect beautiful girls from danger."
Silence filled the carriage.
Then Tsubaki burst into loud laughter, and even Hephaestus let out a laugh. As a goddess, she didn't expect such a childish motive.
"Akira-kun, how could you think like that?! What about Konan-chan and Naori-chan?!" Hestia shook him by the collar.
"Oh, they know about this. How do you think I impressed them?" Akira spoke confidently—his wives understood him better than he understood himself.
"Well then, I should get going. Don't want to be late." He slipped out of her grip.
"Wait! I need to update your status!"
"I'll need that." Akira removed his purple samue.
"Stop! You shouldn't show your status to other familias. That was the first thing I told you," Hephaestus scolded.
"But I trust Hephaestus, so it's okay," Hestia said innocently—causing Hephaestus a headache. She couldn't decide if she should feel happy or worried about Hestia's naivety.
Akira unfurled the bandages on his arm. "I already trust Hephaestus-sama with Hestia-sama's safety. Showing my status is nothing."
He also wanted to earn her trust so he could request some unusual weapons in future for his cosplay.
"You two are really alike. Do whatever you want." Though she sounded indifferent, Hephaestus was secretly pleased.
As Akira revealed more skin, scars lined his arms and torso. His expression darkened.
Tsubaki patted his back. "Don't be sad. Adventurer girls like men with scars."
"That's not it." Akira looked at the ring on his left hand, "My wives will get unnecessarily worried if they see these."
"Your wives? Plural?",Tsubaki was stunned.
"Yes.", Akira remembered—only his soul had traveled here. As long as the chat group remained offline, they wouldn't know he was injured. He checked the interface in his mind.
Chat – Inventory
Chat
IamBatman (Offline)
IamIronMan (Offline)
IamOnlyAStoreManager (Offline)
Utako Kasumi (Offline)
Rider (Offline)
PaperAngel (Offline)
'As expected.'
"You must have other good qualities that made your wives fall for you," Tsubaki teased.
"Who knows." Akira smiled, upper torso bare. On his back, the tattoo of the Hestia Familia could be seen.
"Hestia, why didn't you seal the status?" Hephaestus questioned.
"What do you mean by sealing the status?" Hestia asked. Hephaestus let out a long breath, feeling like she had failed in her step-child's education.
After Hephaestus explained, Hestia finally understood why and how to do it.
Akira sat beside her with his back facing her. She dropped her blood onto his back, and the status glowed, projecting upward. Hephaestus was interested in her friend's child, so she decided to take a peek. But the moment she saw Level 2, her gaze froze. Initially, she didn't want to look out of respect, but now her curiosity overwhelmed her.
As she read through the stats, she became more and more astonished—but the real surprise was written just below Magic: Mystery.
Seeing it, she couldn't help but ask, "This… you have Mystery?"
"It's amazing, right? My Akira-kun is really talented," Hestia said proudly.
'This isn't just talent. This requires a ridiculous amount of luck.' Hephaestus thought. According to the information she had, only about five people in all of Orario had this skill, and each one was incredibly valuable—not just to their Familia, but to the entire city.
Seeing this, even Hephaestus felt a little jealous. "Have you thought about what to do with it?"
"Well, I have some ideas of what to make. But for how to make it, I'm thinking of asking Asfi from the Hermes Familia for advice," Akira replied, taking the paper Hestia handed him.
Hephaestus nodded. "Still, if you want to make a weapon with it, you can come directly to me."
"I will." Akira replied. He was a little disappointed to see no new skills on his status.
Name: Akira Akatsuki
Level: 2
Strength: S999
Endurance: S999
Dexterity: S999
Agility: S999
Magic: S999
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
3. []
"Hestia-sama, I am ready for Rank Up," Akira said.
"Level 3, here we go." Hestia activated the status again. "[Mage], [Hunter], [Lancer], [Spearman], [Chain Attack], and [Healing Power]—which development ability do you want?"
"The first four are out for the same reason as last time. That leaves [Chain Attack] and [Healing Power]. One makes continuous attacks stronger, the other gives small stamina regeneration."
"Hmm, this is a difficult choice." Akira really wanted both.
"Want my advice?" Tsubaki asked. Akira nodded.
"Think about how you've fought until now, and how you want to fight in the future."
Akira thought back to all his battles. A little stamina regeneration would have helped. But Chain Attack would have helped massively—and Akira liked fighting aggressively. Once he considered it, the choice became obvious.
"I choose [Chain Attack]."
"Okay." Hestia updated his status and sealed it. After printing it out, she locked the status, making the tattoo disappear.
Handing him the paper, she smiled happily. "Congratulations, Akira-kun. You are now Level 3."
"Thank you." Akira smiled back.
Name: Akira Akatsuki
Level: 3
Strength: S999 --> I45
Endurance: S999 --> I0
Dexterity: S999 --> I0
Agility: S999 --> I0
Magic: S999 --> I0
Mystery: I
Chain Attack: 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
[]
"Congrats, Akira-kun. I must say, now you have enough strength to earn enough so that Hestia can go back to being a NEET." Hephaestus joked, earning a glare from Hestia—one Akira thought only made her look cute.
"Congrats, kid. Level 3… that has to be some kind of record, right? Don't forget to invite me to the party." Tsubaki found another opportunity for drinking.
"Thanks, both of you. I should get going." Akira put his clothes back on.
Hephaestus tapped the driver's window behind her. "You can stop here for a second, Char."
The carriage driver, Char, whistled and brought the carriage to a halt.
"You can follow the road back to Orario. It's about 3 km from here," Tsubaki said.
"I'm going to take a shortcut. Can you point me in the general direction?" Akira asked.
Before she could answer, Akira switched his clothes using his inventory.
He wore a dark green samue, a black haori with a white diamond pattern along the bottom, a fan in one hand, a wooden cane in the other. On his feet were traditional wooden geta, and on his head a striped dark-green-and-white bucket hat that shaded his eyes.
Opening the carriage gate, he stepped out—and vanished. Looking outside, she spotted him standing on the ground ahead, but his speed was unlike anything she had ever seen. She couldn't even catch a glimpse of his movement; it was like he teleported.
"Tsubaki, directions?" Akira called. She pointed toward the general direction.
"Thanks." Akira vanished again. This time she saw only a blur—and when she looked up, he was standing in the sky.
BOOM!
With a sonic boom, he disappeared once more.
"Hestia, you've really struck it big," Hephaestus said. She could guess he used some sort of magic tool to change clothes. As for his speed… whether Level 3 or Level 7, she couldn't track anyone at that level with her eyes.
"Of course." Hestia crossed her arms, emphasizing her chest proudly. Showing two more very big desires Akira had.
.....................
You can Support me on p@treon: [email protected]/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
I mainly translate other fanfics on there.