"Hehe, if I stay cooped up in a forge, hammering metal all day, I'd go insane."
Yami quickly flashed an awkward smile, noticing the knowing look in Goddess Hephaestus's eyes.
Luckily, the red-haired goddess didn't push the matter further. She understood Yami's temperament well—his value extended far beyond his skills at the forge.
So, she could make an exception every now and then.
"Forget it. Just hurry up and find that special metal, along with those talented kids. Our Familia could use some fresh blood, don't you think?"
At this, Hestia couldn't hold back any longer.
"Hold on, Hephaestus! Didn't you say I'd get the first pick of the talented children in this world? It's totally unfair to change the rules now!"
"You've already got Yami by your side, and yet you're still so greedy!" the petite goddess fumed.
But Hephaestus had clearly anticipated this. Her expression didn't show the slightest trace of guilt.
And why should she?
"Don't get so worked up, Hestia," Hephaestus said calmly. "I'm only looking to bring in a few suitable recruits. It won't affect your Familia's recruitment at all."
"Besides, Yami's my child too. What's wrong with giving priority to my family?"
"And have you forgotten?"
"Who took you in when you first descended to the lower world? Who let you eat and drink for free for so long? And whose child helped you build your Familia?"
"Ahh…"
With each pointed remark, Hestia's protests died down. Goddess Hephaestus's words struck her like sharp needles, leaving her utterly speechless.
Not one for eloquence, Hestia could only hop about in frustration, her words lost. But alas, if even Loki couldn't out-argue Hephaestus, there was no way the petite goddess stood a chance.
Hestia had been thoroughly shut down!
As the tension in the room built, the lights in the hotel room seemed to flare brighter, momentarily dazzling Yami.
No wonder people love watching women fight—it's absolutely thrilling!
"Yami, your eyes are straying!" teased Goddess Artemis, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
Even Artemis herself seemed a bit surprised. Normally, she'd never tolerate such behavior from a man, let alone joke about it.
But with Yami, something was different.
In his presence, Artemis felt unusually at ease.
"Ahem... You can't blame me," Yami chuckled. "Hephaestus and Hestia are just too attractive. Who could stay calm around them?"
"But that aside, Artemis, are you planning on doing anything exciting?"
"This world is very different from Orario. We'll probably be here for a while, so finding something fun to do might not be a bad idea."
"Me?" Artemis tilted her head thoughtfully.
Her long blue hair cascaded over her shoulders, and under the sunlight, the goddess of the moon appeared even more radiant and serene.
After a brief moment, she finally responded.
"I don't have the same concerns as Hestia, but I'm still interested in combat. The monsters here seem similar to the ones in Orario."
"If any strange creatures show up, I might join the fray."
"And don't worry—I won't be using divine power."
Noticing the look of concern in Yami's eyes, Artemis quickly reassured him. After all, using divine power in a fight would defeat the purpose.
Of the four in the room, Artemis was by far the most formidable in battle.
While it remained to be seen if Yami could defeat Saitama, one thing was clear: the so-called "god" of this world would stand no chance against Artemis.
Despite their playful antics, the gods of Orario were no pushovers when serious. All of them were battle-hardened, especially Artemis with her divine authority.
Otherwise, the dungeon—born from the world's will—wouldn't have been suppressed underground by Ouranos's immense power. Left unchecked, it would have wreaked havoc across the surface.
"Hunting monsters, huh?" Yami mused. "That's an easy wish to grant, Artemis. I can assure you of that."
Just then, a red glow flickered in Yami's eyes, and a vision flashed in his mind.
His expression shifted from exasperation to amusement, a small grin forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Looks like I almost forgot about this one."
"Originally, I planned to take a short break, then defeat the Monster Association, fight Garou after growing stronger, take on Blast, and eventually challenge Saitama."
"But now… it seems I'll need to make a slight adjustment to the plan."
Muttering to himself, Yami turned his gaze back to Hephaestus and Hestia.
"Hephaestus, Hestia—enough of the bickering."
"Brace yourselves—an earthquake's coming!"
"What?!"
The two goddesses, still in the heat of their "battle," were caught off guard by Yami's sudden warning, their faces showing equal parts confusion and disbelief.
Suddenly, a thunderous noise echoed in the distance.
The sound was so powerful that the hotel's windows shattered instantly.
Moments later, the ground began to tremble violently, everything around them shaking.
Within seconds, another massive shockwave hit, as if something monstrous was slamming into the earth itself.
"Ahhh!"
Unprepared for the quake, Hestia was thrown off balance and sent tumbling to the ground.
The impact left her crying out in pain, her petite form sprawled on the floor.
But the tremors didn't stop.