On the way to the church.
Hestia educated Ying Ping on many things about Divine Favor, as well as the adventurer leveling rules.
And, precautions for adventuring in the Dungeon.
This information was largely consistent with what Ying Ping already knew, but he still listened carefully.
Passing through a weed-choked gravel path, the two finally arrived in front of a desolate ruin.
The only building that could be considered intact here was a nearly half-destroyed church.
But this church was even more dilapidated than Ying Ping remembered.
Most of the stained glass was shattered, the wooden main door hung askew, and the cross on the roof was so rusted that its original color was unrecognizable.
"This..."
Ying Ping involuntarily stopped, his eyes wide as he stared at the almost ruined building.
This must be a dangerous building!
"Hey!"
Hestia immediately noticed his reaction, a hint of panic flashing in her big blue eyes.
But then she put her hands on her hips, feigning a fierce, almost childish look. "You, you weren't just thinking 'What kind of godforsaken place is this,' were you?"
"If you regret becoming my familia now, it's still not too late to quit! But I'll absolutely never speak to you again!"
"No! I didn't think that!"
Ying Ping quickly shook his head, looking at her with firm eyes. "I was just surprised that Hestia could persevere alone in a place like this for so long. It's truly amazing..."
Hestia froze.
She could clearly sense that there wasn't a hint of a lie in Ying Ping's words.
The next second, Ying Ping suddenly took her small hand, which was covered by a white velvet glove, and said earnestly, "Hestia, I promise you, I will definitely get you a good house in the future."
"Whether it's rebuilding here or moving somewhere else, I will work hard to make it happen for you."
"You... you idiot..."
Hestia's face instantly turned red, and she mumbled softly, lowering her head. "Who asked you to promise such a thing...?"
She pulled her hand back and walked quickly towards the church. "F-follow me!"
After entering, the basement stairs creaked.
When Hestia lit the oil lamp, the dim yellow light illuminated a small but tidy space.
This was a small room almost identical to the one in the anime.
A simple wooden bed, a small table, and a few wooden boxes for miscellaneous items.
"Take off your top."
Hestia took a silver needle from a drawer, her voice suddenly softer. "...Then lie on the bed on your stomach and expose your back."
"Alright."
Ying Ping obediently complied, taking off his top and lying on the bed.
He felt the mattress slightly indent—
Hestia's petite body actually sat directly on his waist.
"Ngh!"
Ying Ping stiffened all over.
That light yet soft touch instantly accelerated his heartbeat, and even his breathing involuntarily quickened.
"D-don't move!"
Hestia, her face red, lightly kicked his back with her bare little foot. "Concentrate, concentrate!"
"Sorry, I got too excited!"
Ying Ping took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Once this ritual is complete, we'll be family."
Hestia took out a silver needle, her voice filled with unprecedented seriousness.
Ying Ping clenched his fists: "Yes, I'm honored!"
He would finally receive the Divine Blessing and then activate the Shadow Monarch leveling system to gain the power to become stronger!
"Alright, in the name of Hestia, I bestow upon you the Divine Favor..."
Hestia smiled with relief, then chanted softly, and a drop of warm liquid fell onto Ying Ping's back.
It was the divine blood of a god.
He felt Hestia's finger, stained with divine blood, slowly moving across his back, tracing the symbols of sacred writing.
A strange warmth spread from the point of contact, as if fire flowed beneath his skin.
"Alright, the ritual is complete, and the impression is also done."
As Hestia's words fell, Ying Ping felt a burning sensation on his back.
He knew that the mark of Hestia's familia—the black sacred flame emblem—should now have appeared there.
[Ding! You have received Divine Favor and successfully joined the Hestia Familia!]
[Shadow Monarch System activated successfully!]
[Base ability values initialized...]
[Daily quests have been unlocked!]
Ying Ping forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart, temporarily ignoring the system, and instead sat up and turned to look at Hestia.
In the flickering light of the oil lamp, Hestia's bright blue eyes, however, showed a hint of unease.
She seemed to have something she wanted to say but was hesitant.
"What's wrong, Hestia?"
Ying Ping asked somewhat puzzled.
"No, it's nothing."
"See for yourself."
Hestia handed over a piece of parchment with Ying Ping's ability values imprinted on it.
[Name]: Ying Ping
[Level]: LV1
Strength: I0
Durability: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
[Development Abilities]: None
[Magic]:
Skills: None
..."This... this is such a mediocre mob template!"
"Not only is there only one magic slot, but there isn't even a single skill!"
Ying Ping looked at the content imprinted on the parchment, and he couldn't help but be greatly astonished.
He finally understood why Hestia had looked at him with such an uneasy gaze!
Ying Ping stared at the terrible data on the parchment, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
If it weren't for the system activation prompt flashing in his mind, he probably would have burst into tears on the spot.
"No matter what, this... this is just too..."
Ying Ping's fingers trembled.
Suddenly, a pair of small hands wearing white velvet gloves wrapped around his neck from behind, and Hestia's soft cheek pressed against him.
"It's alright, Ying Ping-kun."
Hestia closed her eyes and said gently, "Every adventurer starts from zero. As long as you train hard, you can definitely become stronger."
Ying Ping felt the goddess's petite body pressed tightly against his back, and that warm touch made his heart flutter.
"That being said, this starting point is just too bad..."
Ying Ping smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Starting as an adventurer at thirty, I might be the weakest LV1 in all of Orario..."
"Idiot!"
"Age doesn't matter!"
"No matter if you're 30 or 300, in the eyes of a god, you're always just a child!"
Hestia suddenly ruffled his dark hair forcefully, "And… you are the very first member of my Hestia Familia!"
"This makes you the most special existence to a Goddess, never to be forgotten, like a mother's first child, irreplaceable by anyone else!"
She turned to face Ying Ping, carefully cupping his face with her hands.
In the dim, yellow light of the oil lamp.
Hestia's blue eyes flickered with a determined light, as if she wanted to engrave Ying Ping's appearance at that moment firmly in her memory forever.
"Listen, your ability scores, skills, and magic aren't important."
Her voice suddenly softened, comforting him: "…What's important is that I will always be by your side…"
"Even if Ying Ping-kun remains clumsy and achieves nothing, it doesn't matter."
"I just hope you can live happily and well. That's enough."
Upon hearing this, Ying Ping's pupils slightly widened.
At this moment, the gentle expression on Hestia's face was even more dazzling than anything else in the world.
Never before, not even his own parents, had anyone spoken such doting words to him!
"Lady Hestia!!"
His nose tingled, and an emotional Ying Ping suddenly lunged forward, burying his entire face in the soft embrace of the loli goddess.
The blue and white fabric of her dress rubbed against his cheek, and the scent of sunshine and honey instantly filled his nostrils.
"Whoa! Wait, wait!"
Hestia frantically tried to push him away, but couldn't move due to the difference in their sizes. "Too, too close!"
But Ying Ping hugged her tighter, his voice muffled by the fabric and trembling as he said, "I swear…"
"I will definitely become the strongest adventurer worthy of the name Hestia Familia… I will make everyone, all the gods, envy you for taking me into your familia…"
Hestia's struggling movements suddenly stopped.
She sighed softly, finally placing her hand on the back of Ying Ping's head and gently stroking it again, as if comforting a small animal.
"I know, I know…"
Hestia's eyes gleamed with affectionate light: "But starting tomorrow, you need to train well, okay? We'll start with… cleaning the church!"
"No, I'm going to the dungeon tomorrow."
Ying Ping said firmly, "My first prey will be the Minotaur."
"I have an irreconcilable grudge against the Minotaur!"
"Huh?!"
"Hey, you should at least start by fighting goblins on the first floor, you idiot!"
Hestia's shriek directly startled the pigeons on the church roof into flight.