When Ron explored the Dungeon, not only could the environment of each floor change at any time, he would also be targeted by irregular, mutated monsters.
Just looking at this debuff gave Hestia a headache.
"Despicable Foreigner…"
"If I remember correctly, isn't this something only gods experience when they enter the Dungeon?"
She truly could not understand it.
But when she paired it with this new familia member's Resurrection skill, the Dungeon's hatred toward him suddenly did not feel unfounded anymore.
Being able to revive after death.
There was a limit to the number of uses, but those uses could be replenished by killing monsters and accumulating points. In Orario, this was an ability that had absolutely never been seen before.
As for Character Save, she did not fully understand it, yet she was deeply shaken by it.
This was practically genius.
Ron had just received Falna and become a rookie adventurer, yet he already possessed three skills.
The girl lifted her head, her tone solemn.
"Ron."
"The talent you possess is more than enough to support your dreams. It might even make your future life exploring Orario truly meaningful!"
Am I really that cracked?
After becoming an adventurer, Ron did not feel any obvious changes in his body. Still, hearing those words, he could not help but feel a spark of anticipation.
That feeling lasted until he clearly saw the Status panel engraved on the parchment, at which point his smile slowly faded.
The difficulty of Dungeon exploration had clearly increased. In exchange, he gained the ability to revive. No matter how he looked at it, this felt painfully familiar.
Damn it, the Souls nightmare is still chasing me!
In short, his resurrection skill was extremely broken, but the nightmare-difficulty Dungeon exploration just happened to perfectly balance it out.
As for the final skill called Character Save.
It was probably exactly what he thought. Consuming Soul Residue to draw NPC characters from Souls-like games, then gaining their abilities after using them.
"Maybe," Ron muttered.
His feelings were hard to describe.
At the very least, he now had the Souls protagonist's ability to rewind, which provided necessary insurance for his future Dungeon adventures.
Still, after turning on cheats, it always felt like you lost something in return.
"Oh right, Ron, do you have a place to stay?"
Once the excitement of realizing her new familia member was a genius settled down, Hestia noticed a crucial issue.
Ron had come to Orario specifically to become an adventurer.
Without even thinking about it, she knew he had no place to stay in this unfamiliar city. On top of that, her familia had just been founded. They did not even have a proper familia residence yet.
"If you don't…"
At this point, her thoughts inexplicably drifted to her close friend Hephaestus. Maybe she could help solve Ron's housing problem.
Hestia did not make any promises.
"I can help you ask around."
"Then I'll be in your care, Lady Hestia."
Ron naturally would not refuse.
After transmigrating into the world of Danmachi and successfully becoming an adventurer, the next thing he had to think about was his basic necessities in Orario.
After all, this was not a game where you could save on the spot and log out once you got tired.
But this was exactly where joining the Hestia Familia paid off. This young goddess could provide assistance within her means, outside of Dungeon exploration.
"Not a problem!"
Hestia knew full well that she was not yet a qualified god.
And the trust Ron placed in her as a new familia member filled her with motivation. At the very least, she wanted to appear as reliable as possible in front of him.
She clenched her fist, her tone earnest.
"You're my familia child now. Taking care of you is my responsibility."
---
"Absolutely not."
"I said it from the start. Letting you stay at my place is already my limit. Now that you've formed a familia, it's only reasonable that you find your own familia residence."
"You really should be looking for a base for your familia!"
The moment she saw her close friend again, Hephaestus did not even need to ask to know that this idiot was about to cause trouble for her.
Letting her stay at her place and freeload was one thing.
After all, Hestia was one of the few friends she had back in heaven. But wanting to bring a man to live there too, even if he was a newly recruited familia member?
That was unacceptable.
"You know…"
"I just got to Orario not long ago. You're basically the only friend I have, and my relationships with other gods aren't great either."
The girl stood there, at a loss.
The old tactic of acting cute was clearly not going to work this time.
Left with no choice, Hestia turned pleading eyes toward her tall friend's back.
"He won't stay long. Once we find a suitable familia residence…"
"Ron and I will move out right away!"
"This is a Guild requirement. If you're forming a familia, you need a familia residence, no matter how rundown it is," Hephaestus said decisively.
"And I don't have any extra space for your familia member."
Of course, a large part of this was because she knew Hestia's lazy nature all too well.
Now that her friend had finally shown signs of wanting to change, Hephaestus was determined to push while the iron was hot.
Even though gods could not help with Dungeon exploration directly, Hestia should still contribute what she could to her familia's development.
Her tone softened slightly.
"You'll have to figure out the familia residence on your own, but I can help you as a friend."
"I'll provide your new familia member with a set of weapons better than the beginner gear from the Adventurers Guild."
"Then can I pick something expensive?" the girl looked up.
"...."
Hephaestus did not answer.
But from her helpless expression, Hestia felt there might still be room for negotiation.
She explained, "Ron has exceptional talent."
"But for some reason, he's hated by the Dungeon."
"I don't have many other ways to help him, so I want to give him a good set of equipment. At least it'll make his Dungeon exploration a bit safer."
"Hated by the Dungeon?"
The tall woman slowly turned around, her expression filled with confusion.
The conditions for drawing the Dungeon's hatred were simple. Gods, or items infused with strong divinity, could cause changes in the Dungeon environment.
But for this to happen to Ron, who had just become an adventurer…
Hephaestus felt something was off, something beyond expectations.
She asked directly, "But I don't sense any divine aura in his body."
"Maybe it has something to do with his other skills?"
"In any case, he's truly the most talented child I've ever seen."
Hestia did not go into further detail about Ron's skills.
Even though her close friend would trust her unconditionally, these two facts, being hated by the Dungeon and reviving after death, had to be kept as secret as possible until Ron grew stronger.
"Then let's see…"
"How far this 'exceptionally talented child' you're so proud of can actually go."
Hephaestus did not press further, but curiosity lingered in her heart.
How far would the story of this boy, hated by the Dungeon, really reach?
The future was full of unknowns.
She waved her hand casually.
"As for weapons and equipment, take him to the shop and let him choose. Just try to keep the total under three million Valis."
"Forging costs money too."