'Loki is surprisingly more capable than I thought.'
From the anime, she always seemed more like a perverted old man than someone dependable.
Judas was now being guided by Ren to the armory to pick his new weapon and armor.
"You can choose anything that fits you, but don't bite off more than you can chew. Only take what you need."
Ren reminded him as he opened the armory door.
Judas stepped inside and frowned at how sparse it looked.
"Ah, right. The expedition took most of the good stuff. What's left are just spares."
Ren smacked his forehead when he realized the situation.
"Well, better than nothing."
Judas adopted a positive attitude and inspected the nearly emptied racks.
The usual cliché of a protagonist stumbling upon a hidden legendary weapon didn't happen.
That would only make the Loki Familia look incompetent for not realizing such a treasure was sitting in their vault.
Ignoring the magic staves and wands Loki had intended for him, Judas instead chose a standard spear and lightweight leather armor.
'Good quality. Weight's perfect for me.'
'Unlike swords, spears have reach and versatility—ideal for an unpredictable environment like the dungeon.'
The equipment wasn't special, but it was decent.
He swung the spear in practice arcs, getting used to its balance.
'Estelon never trained with a spear, but he fought countless spear wielders. And Father's lessons are proving more useful than I thought.'
By no means an expert, Judas only knew the basics, but it was enough. He was satisfied.
"Looks like you had some training, newbie. Not bad."
Ren praised him lightly, though in truth, he wasn't impressed.
Compared to prodigies like Ais, Judas seemed merely above average.
At least from Ren's perspective. He had no idea how monstrous Judas really was—though that wasn't his fault.
Loki wouldn't reveal Judas' status to a lower-ranked member so casually.
That kind of information was too important to share.
"I'm ready."
After testing his gear, Judas was eager to enter the dungeon.
"Good. I'll be accompanying you on your first dive. It's mandatory, straight orders from Loki. No objections."
"I don't mind."
Judas wasn't bothered. He had no reason to hide his abilities.
'Just from receiving the falna, a person can go from level 0 to level 1.'
'I want to see what kind of strength I gained from the falna alone.'
He had long studied how the gods' blessing worked.
The falna wasn't just a tool for supernatural abilities.
It unlocked the latent potential hidden deep within mortals, giving them a key to access it.
The falna collected excelia, which converted into status points.
Excelia came from training or slaying monsters.
The five main parameters—Strength, Agility, Endurance, Dexterity, and Magic—could all be raised by performing specific actions targeting them.
Lifting heavy loads could raise strength. Taking damage improved endurance.
Every struggle forged growth.
But there was something unique about the falna compared to other power systems.
'The quality of excelia depends on the effort and struggle involved. A level six could slay a million level-one goblins and gain nothing. Without real danger, there's no growth.'
'That's why higher-level adventurers progress slower. Unless they risk their lives in the deeper floors, they'll never again experience the rapid growth they once had as beginners.'
By now, Judas and Ren had reached the guild entrance.
'But I'm different. I'm only level one, yet my foundation is already unprecedented. Just how much will I grow in a single day?'
The thought excited him.
But first, procedure—he had to report to his adviser.
"Mr. Spade, I see you've succeeded in joining a familia."
Rose observed Ren walking beside Judas, along with his new equipment.
"Yeah. I was lucky enough to join the Loki Familia."
Judas' tone was calm, but his words struck like thunder to everyone nearby.
"That kid joined Loki Familia?"
"The Familia of Giant Slayers?"
"What's so special about him?"
Whispers spread like wildfire through the guild hall, envious eyes turning toward Judas.
He ignored them and followed Ren to Rose, who raised a slightly surprised brow.
"You joined Loki Familia? That's good to hear. Hand me your status sheet so the guild can officially register you as an adventurer."
Rose sounded relieved. Though she put on a tough front, she cared for the adventurers she advised.
'With Loki Familia backing him, his survival chances rise considerably.'
There were no guarantees— even Loki's people had suffered deaths— but at least Judas was less likely to die from rookie mistakes.
The early stages were always the deadliest.
Most beginners underestimated the dungeon until it swallowed them whole.
Information and guidance were priceless.
That was the true strength of joining an established familia, having veterans and seniors show you the ropes were valuable experiences.
Guild advisers could help, but their support was limited since most of them weren't adventurers themselves.
"Here you go."
Judas handed Rose his status sheet without hesitation.
She noticed the skills and magic section had been neatly torn away, leaving only his parameters, level, and Loki Familia's seal.
'Did he get a skill?'
Rose raised her brow in suspicion but didn't pry further and quickly processed the paperwork.
It didn't take long before she clapped her hands and as her gaze landed on him.
"Congratulations on becoming an adventurer, Judas Spade. Would you like me to remain your adviser, or has your familia already assigned you one?"
Judas blinked.
'Am I seeing things?'
For just a split second, he thought he saw a smile flicker across her lips before it vanished.
Almost as if he imagined it.
He glanced at Ren, who shrugged.
"The goddess said the choice is yours."
Hearing this, Judas extended his hand.
"It's a pleasure to work with you, Miss Fannett. Take care of me."
"I promise to advise you well."
The red-haired wolf demi-human and the human boy shook hands.