"...So this is the real world?"
Inside the hotel room Luo Shu had temporarily booked, Mai Sakurajima stared at her hands in slight bewilderment, carefully sensing the power she had just obtained.
[Existence Manipulation (Hero Rank)]
[Can freely control one's own sense of presence, achieving disappearance or reappearance in the eyes of others.]
"Gods... the Abyss... sorcerers... ranks... and the Hidden Management Department..."
As Mai Sakurajima recited the knowledge she had just acquired, her mood grew increasingly heavy.
Otherworldly beings emerging from the Abyss into reality, gods reviving in the modern era, sorcerers wielding supernatural powers, and... the Hidden Management Department responsible for restraining and overseeing these extraordinary forces.
Thinking about these beyond-common-sense revelations, Mai Sakurajima couldn't help but turn her gaze towards Luo Shu, who was changing into casual clothes beside her.
The casual clothes had been prepared in the ring, as Ai Hoshino had torn the previous set and thus couldn't be worn anymore.
Compared to Luo Shu's calm demeanour, Mai Sakurajima's emotions were far more complicated at the moment:
"So, the reason you targeted me, Luo Shu, is because I'm a suitable candidate with the potential to become a Familia member?"
Other than that, Mai Sakurajima couldn't think of any other reason Luo Shu would have taken an interest in her.
Her beauty?
The women serving Luo Shu were practically all on par with her in terms of looks.
Intelligence?
Though her grades were decent, Mai Sakurajima didn't consider herself a woman who excelled in using her intellect—there were plenty in the Familia whose minds surpassed hers.
Power?
As an ordinary person, she couldn't even compare to Luo Shu, let alone the Spirits within the Familia who were practically born as Demigods. Compared to them, she was no different from an insect.
So, the only thing that could have drawn Luo Shu's attention to her was undoubtedly her potential to become a Familia member, right?
Or perhaps it should be called talent?
"How should I explain this to you?"
Luo Shu, with his back turned to Mai Sakurajima, pulled on a T-shirt before glancing at her over his shoulder:
"Honestly, if the list Oko Shinomiya provided yesterday hadn't included you, I probably wouldn't have accepted his invitation to come to this hotel."
"And what about that Ai Hoshino next door...?" Mai Sakurajima vaguely sensed something.
If before, Mai Sakurajima had thought Luo Shu was simply coercing Ai Hoshino into a transactional relationship, she no longer believed that now.
Would a god reviving in the modern era really do such a thing to an ordinary girl?
Unless it was some lecherous yokai worshipped in a minor shrine, such behaviour was clearly suspicious.
So, was Ai Hoshino really just an ordinary girl?
Mai Sakurajima had her doubts.
Sure enough, faced with her scepticism, Luo Shu merely pressed a finger to his lips and smiled:
"A proper god would never refuse a Familia member's devotion~"
"Even if that member isn't yet aware of their own potential."
"So that's how it is..."
After signing the contract, Mai Sakurajima realised that Ai Hoshino, who could get close to an existence like Luo Shu and even engage in indescribable acts with him, was indeed a suitable candidate for Familia.
In other words, at their core, both Ai Hoshino and herself were women with the talent to become Luo Shu's Familia and serve a deity.
Understanding this clearly, Mai Sakurajima hesitated for a moment before asking:
"If, after I left yesterday, Ai Hoshino hadn't appeared, but another girl without Familia qualifications had instead, would you have done the same thing?"
Mai didn't know what emotion prompted her to ask this question.
Perhaps she just wanted to determine whether an existence like Luo Shu possessed more humanity or divinity.
Facing Mai's question, Luo Shu merely maintained a faint smile, offering no response.
A girl who wasn't part of Luo Shu's recognised '2D world', just an ordinary pretty girl? Was that even something worth considering?
Luo Shu said nothing, but his glance conveyed everything to Mai.
Seeing Luo Shu's reaction, Mai immediately understood. "Should I be grateful now that I possess the qualifications to become Familia?"
Because she had the qualifications, Luo Shu had actively intervened to save her.
If she hadn't possessed those qualifications, in a situation like her previous existence erasure, Luo Shu probably wouldn't have even glanced her way.
Or perhaps he might help if he's in a good mood and ignore her otherwise?
What a pragmatic deity indeed!
Luo Shu glanced at the unsettled Mai and calmly remarked:
"Trying to figure out what kind of person I am? Such a troublesome woman. You'll naturally understand after spending more time together."
Not particularly concerned with Mai's little thoughts, Luo Shu walked over and sat beside her, casually asking:
"The existence erasure phenomenon affecting you has been resolved, right?"
"It has indeed been resolved."
After receiving extensive explanations about common knowledge and becoming Familia, Mai now understood the cause of her previous condition.
Ability overload!
An excessively weak mind and body being unable to control a powerful ability, leading to loss of control - this was the main reason for Mai's existence erasure.
Such phenomena frequently occurred among those fortunate individuals who obtained powerful abilities through external means.
Thus, the conclusion was obvious.
Indeed, the ability Mai had obtained didn't originate from herself, but was a gift from the remains of an existence called a 'Crimson Denizen' after its death.
Even though Mai didn't recall ever coming into contact with such remains.
According to Luo Shu's explanation, conceptual lifeforms like Crimson Denizens wouldn't leave physical remains in the real world. Their remains only existed in the space between Abyss Channels and the real world.
This resulted in the remains of these beings floating in such spaces, drifting across Earth and even the cosmic void, randomly appearing near fortunate individuals.
The reason Mai obtained this ability to control existence was simply that last night, the remains of a Crimson Denizen happened to overlap with her location in room 2904 of the hotel.
Though the cause was utterly absurd, it was the result Luo Shu had obtained by having Nia Honjo investigate with Raziel.
So no matter how ridiculous it seemed, Mai Sakurajima, who already understood Raziel's power, knew this was likely the truth.
Having grasped the reason, Mai couldn't help but sigh:
"I suddenly feel like I've become a terribly unlucky girl."
Hearing this, Luo Shu smiled reassuringly:
"Look on the bright side—at least you awakened a Hero Rank ability?"
Mai gave a strained smile at these words. "That's true... At least it made me one of those rare Hero Rank sorcerers worldwide."
Although there were at least three to four hundred Hero Ranks in Japan, this was largely due to the country's status as a trading hub for Abyss Artefacts.
And even with so many gathered here, Hero Ranks were by no means weak.
Being among the top 300 out of over a hundred million people still firmly placed one at the very peak.
"Thinking about it that way, I should count as quite an impressive human, shouldn't I?"
"No, that's not quite correct."
Ever the pedant, Luo Shu corrected Mai's mistake:
"Possessing a Hero Rank ability doesn't mean you have Hero Rank proficiency."
"In the mystic side, an ability's grade doesn't equate to a sorcerer's actual skill level."
"Just because someone buys a gun doesn't make them a sniper."
"Similarly, having Hero Rank abilities doesn't make you a Hero Rank sorcerer."
Mai blinked in confusion. "Is that so? Then what about Hero Ranks?"
"Rank denotes a lifeform's tier—the class of one's essential being."
Luo Shu patiently explained to this young lady who'd memorised countless facts without comprehending any:
"Heroes with Classes are necessarily Hero Rank lifeforms, but sorcerers with Hero Rank proficiency aren't necessarily Hero Rank themselves."
"One is about life tier, the other combat capability. Though easily conflated, the difference is vast."
"Properly educated Hero Rank existences can deconstruct their own abilities to provide promotion materials for Common or even Excellent Class advancements."
"Those who merely possess Hero Rank abilities lack such understanding of their powers, let alone the capacity to produce materials for ordinary people's advancement."
"One is merely a user of abilities, the other a creator—that's the fundamental distinction."
"For a formally trained sorcerer not to understand this difference would be laughable."
Hearing this, Mai's face fell. "Does that mean I count as formally educated now?"
Luo Shu glanced at her sideways:
"At the very least, your head contains most of a formal education's knowledge."
"When you have time, remember to visit the garrison and have Natsuki Minamiya tutor you."
"Otherwise it'd be ridiculous—coming from proper training yet ending up a hack."
Mai's expression turned complicated. Was Luo Shu treating her as some kind of academic failure?
Her school grades had been perfectly decent!
After lecturing Mai for a while, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes and said:
"Though it might be somewhat premature, I suppose we should start your practical combat training now."
"Eh?" Mai Sakurajima froze for a moment before instinctively turning to look at Luo Shu.
At that very instant, she caught the intrigued expression on his face.
Then, Mai heard the Chief God's soft chuckle:
"Not bad at all, you witches of the Desire Faction."
As these words fell, Mai stared in shock as their surroundings abruptly transformed—a dark forest suddenly replaced the luxurious hotel suite. Acting on instinct from the knowledge implanted by the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System, she used her spiritual sight to examine herself.
The three flames representing essence, energy and spirit - above her head and on both shoulders - flickered simultaneously.
This is... an Abyss world?!
How did they suddenly get transported to an Abyss world?
What on earth is going on?