After the commotion subsided, the familia members sat facing each other in the hall. A long table stood in the center, and above it hung an emblem of a sword of justice and wings.
Shaka had originally planned to be the guiding NPC himself even getting a new look for the role but things had fallen apart halfway because of the "starting clothes bug." Now, only Astraea could serve as the guide.
...
"A thousand years ago, the great hero Albert wounded the evil black dragon, allowing the mortal realm to breathe and ushering in the Age of the Gods. We gods bestowed upon the children of the mortal realm a Falna, granting them 'ability values' thus giving humans the power to fight against monsters..."
...
"Five years ago, just as we were about to end the evil's counterattack, we were betrayed, trapped, and almost all our members were wiped out. You are the new hope for our familia."
"I implore you to raise the banner of justice once more and bring hope to a world on the verge of collapse."
"The world is yearning for heroes."
...
Goddess Astraea recounted the past to Black Cat and Dekomori, bit by bit. Of course, this was at Shaka's request euphemistically called "background setting."
As a goddess, Astraea was quite interested in playing an NPC. Gods were inherently drawn to entertainment, and even the goddess of justice had her own little hobby: she loved cute children. Now, she was experiencing what it felt like to be the "goddess next door" summoning heroes to save the world. In short she found it all very novel.
"That means we were summoned as heroes! We bear the great mission of rebuilding the familia and saving the world!"
"No problem leave it to me,The Thunder Hammer Warrior! You won't go wrong!"
"Ah, let my mighty light dispel all darkness!"
Dekomori swung her twin tails re-tied into a "meteor hammer" shape her eyes sparkling with starlight. Upon hearing this, Astraea almost burst out laughing, covering her mouth and smiling with crinkled eyes.
Shaka suddenly remembered: the gods of this world all seemed to have a chuunibyou past. Even when choosing titles, they were easily tricked into picking strange ones. He wondered if Astraea had ever had that phase like declaring "Representing love and justice, I will eliminate you!" and the like.
On the other side...
"It's certainly a classic setting," Black Cat nodded slowly, then whispered, "It's just that the initial bugs were too discouraging."
She touched the rough linen clothes she was wearing both texture and feel were so real. Furthermore, unlike other games with system menus, there was no equipment or item inventory. Her attributes and skill slots were actually written on her back using something like the Falna.
She couldn't even find a logout button! If it weren't for the expensive helmet and hefty reward, she would have left this game long ago.
Although I sold my time for money... and he insists it's just a game...
Black Cat glanced at Shaka furtively, then asked in a low voice: "So, who is that chattering woman up there?"
"Why does she feel so strange?"
Puff.
Shaka almost spat out his water. How can you talk about a goddess like that?
"You're still so blunt."
Black Cat narrowed her eyes: "Compared to a perverted lolicon who uses money to order girls around, I'm perfectly normal."
Okay... my bad, but it was out of my control. Who knew summoned beings wouldn't have clothes? Even goblins have underwear...
Shaka clasped his hands together in a sincere apology, then whispered in her ear:
"That's Astraea, the goddess of justice. In other words, she's the 'planner.' The gods control everything in this world unlike us [players], they have their own way of managing the game. Or rather, they are part of the game."
"Hmm... The gods grew tired of their omniscient power and unchanging lives, so they sealed away their divine power and descended to the mortal realm to live inconveniently with humans. They form familias, run shops, or do things they're interested in."
"That strange feeling you have is probably unique to gods a bit like safety mode. Mortals naturally feel kindness toward gods, and intense disgust at the thought of attacking them."
Black Cat pondered: "So they're also testing the game's balance?"
"You could say that..." Shaka said seriously. "In short, they're the ones paying you so please treat them with the respect you'd give a boss."
The last sentence filled Black Cat with awe. More than any deity, the boss's status commanded respect. She quickly sat up straight and listened attentively.
After learning the basic premise, the two swore an oath before the sword of justice and wings: to fight for justice and order. Shaka had even added a so-called "user agreement" for this purpose.
"For example: scaling walls to enter homes to find 'treasure chests,' stealing, robbing, randomly attacking neutral NPCs... all of these are prohibited."
He rambled on, then wrapped it up with: "I'll add more later" and "All interpretation rights belong to us." Simply put don't do anything illegal.
Afterward, at Shaka's suggestion, Astraea attempted to grant Dekomori and Black Cat their Falna. Shaka stood nervously outside the door, waiting...
To be honest, since their summoned bodies were not physical, he didn't know if the Falna awakening would succeed. But he decided to try anyway.
A short while later, Dekomori and Black Cat came out. Shaka looked at Astraea, and the two went into the room alone.
"Perhaps because divine blood was left in their original bodies beforehand, the activation was successful with just a simple ritual."
That's... Shaka's eyes lit up. But seeing Astraea's expression, he knew there was a "but."
"but..."
Astraea explained the situation:
"Because it's not their physical bodies undergoing training, their ability value growth has flaws. For example, the three physical attributes—[Strength], [Endurance], [Agility]—will increase when updated, but once the magic is cut off, they reset. Only the mental attributes [Magic Power] and [Dexterity] will remain."
Shaka nodded thoughtfully. "Is there a way to fix this?"
"No unless those children train with their original bodies." Astraea shook her head. "But I can see they're too kind. Your world must be very peaceful."
"Yes," Shaka said helplessly. "It's almost impossible to get them to train on their own."
Seeing his worried expression, Astraea offered a suggestion:
"Actually, there are other ways. If the connection between the summoned body and the main body is strengthened, it will naturally drive the main body's development. Isn't there a stronger mode in your summoning magic?"
Shaka suddenly realized. His summoning magic had two forms: temporary and permanent. The former relied on his magic to maintain the summoned body once supply was cut off, it disappeared. The latter permanently consumed his ability points to construct a physical body, allowing the summoned being to sustain themselves.
"So the problem can be solved by spending ability points. Though if they die, I'll need even more points to rebuild their bodies as they grow stronger..."
For now, though, he didn't need to worry about that. The planners' job was to find a way to make the players bear that cost.
At that moment, Astraea seemed to remember something and added:
"Regarding the two children's ability values..."
"Because their bodies are made of magic, their skills and magic won't activate immediately. They need time for the Falna to sync with them before they manifest."
"Understood." Shaka nodded, then turned and left. He needed to step into his leadership role and guide the young players to adapt to this new world.
Leaving the blacksmith shop, the city filled with the clanging of hammers like a rhythmic melody echoing through the streets. Orcs, elves, and dwarves moved about, filling the air with an otherworldly energy.
And Shaka, Dekomori, and Black Cat...
"Suguoi —!!!"
As the two girls stared in awe at the city, Shaka slowly turned around, spread his hands, and introduced it:
"As you can see this is the new world I've invited you to!"
Welcome to The Myth of the Familia!
Bonus chapter. drop more power stones for more