The Cloud-Raised Brave Man's Travels

"Miss Aina, please help me!"

Although his body was still exhausted, Koya's spirits were higher than ever. The bag of magic stones in front of him was the first money he had ever earned as an adventurer, which meant a lot to him.

"Koya?! Are you okay?!"

Aegina, who was sitting behind the counter, recognized Koya. After all, Koya's face was too recognizable. She had remembered him deeply since he first came to Orario and asked if she was recruiting new Families. Yesterday, when he and Hestia came to register their Families, Aegina was sincerely happy for him. But then, a day later, the man in front of her had become like this...

"It's okay, it's okay. I only practiced fighting on the first floor today. It was my first time fighting a monster, so I accidentally got hurt. I've already drunk the potion."

"Is that so? Koya, you must remember that the worst thing an adventurer should do is take risks. Never challenge anything beyond your ability. Do you understand?"

"I'll remember that, Miss Aina. But now, please help me exchange the magic stones. My god is waiting for me to come back for dinner."

Seeing the excitement still lingering on Koya's face, Aina sighed helplessly, but she still counted the magic stones for him; one, two... thirty-four?!

"Koya, how long have you been in the dungeon?"

"Huh? I went to the dungeon around seven in the morning, right? Since the dungeon is always the same, I just came out. Did it change ten hours?"

"...You're really lucky to have made it back alive!"

Aegina's face was filled with anger. She dragged Koya by the magic stone and led him to the small room in the guild. This was usually where new adventurers and the adventure advisor discussed things, but in reality, it was more of a private space for the adventure advisor to scold those reckless adventurers. For example, right now—

"Mr. Koya!!"

·Dividing line·

Koya sauntered out of the Adventurer's Guild, dazed. Thirty minutes... Do you know how he'd managed those thirty minutes? Aegina's once sweet voice gradually morphed into that of an English teacher during this half-hour of nonstop, unrepeated nagging. Koya sat there, feeling as if he were about to fall asleep. But whenever she saw him showing signs of falling asleep, she'd instantly cast a "wake-up spell." Now, Koya's arms were covered in bruises from being pinched. Miss Aegina's grip was truly formidable.

Of course, Koya also knew that Aegina was doing this for his own good. If he didn't care about Aegina, he wouldn't have said so much. It was precisely because of this kind character that Aegina was indeed very popular among adventurers. However, most adventurers lived a precarious life, so not many people confessed their love to Aegina. After all, if they really wanted to, they could just go to the Istar clan for a visit. For most people, Aegina was their white moonlight, and just looking at her from a distance was enough.

After receiving the money, Koya didn't go back to the basement of the dilapidated church. Instead, he ran to a dessert shop and used half of his earnings to buy a honey cake. This was a gift he prepared for Hestia, but he wasn't sure if Hestia would like this somewhat cheap gift.

"Lady Hestia, I'm back!"

Pushing open the door of the basement of the dilapidated church, Koya saw Hestia lying on the sofa with her legs swinging in the air. She was holding a book in her hand. Speaking of which, Hestia seemed to like books very much. Should he give her some rare books next time?

"Koya, you're back~"

Hestia flipped over at Koya's voice, charging forward and then imprisoned. Before Koya could react, a cute koala appeared on her body. Koya instinctively touched Hestia's head, but quickly realized this was disrespectful to the gods. He quickly used his free hand to hug Hestia to prevent her from falling off him. However, he clearly didn't realize this gesture was much more intimate than just a head pat. Hugging a god like this was considered blasphemous and disrespectful!

"Lady Hestia, please come down soon. By the way, I bought you a honey cake. I hope you like it."

"Hehe~~ I like everything Koya gives me."

For Hestia, Koya also held a special meaning for her. While living in Hephaestus's house, Hestia had tried to recruit many adventurers, but was rejected without exception. Finally, on the first day after being kicked out, she met Koya. It was a fateful meeting for her, not to mention that Koya was indeed beautiful, which naturally made her favorability full.

Hestia hung on Koya for several minutes, and Koya was as stiff as a log and didn't dare to move. After all, the person hanging on him was the god. It was not until Koya's stomach made a rumbling sound that Hestia reluctantly got off him. It was strange to say that Hestia herself was the god of fire, but she felt warmth from Koya's body, which was why she was reluctant to let go of Koya.

"You must be hungry! To celebrate Koya's return from his first adventure, I've prepared a luxurious meal for him!"

Hestia pulled Koya to the dining table. Although she said it was a luxurious meal, there was only a jellyfish and a fish on the table, and the rest were some vegetables. However, as the god who controls the fire, Hestia's cooking skills are absolutely top-notch, and the simple ingredients exude a very tempting aroma.

"It smells so good, Lady Hestia."

"I clearly told you to just call me Hestia. Come on, sit down, Koya, and try this sweet flower wine of mine. It's delicious!"

"Let me try—wow, it's really delicious. Lady Hestia, you should try it too."

Koya picked up two roasted chicken legs and placed them in Hestia's bowl. One leg was a token of respect from the Familia to the gods, while the other was a reminder of Hera's long-standing teachings that a man should cherish the women around him. Koya also gave Hestia the most delicious fish belly. He thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Although the dining environment was somewhat disappointing, the delicious food and the people around him made Koya feel incredibly happy.

The dessert after the meal was naturally the honey cake that Koya brought back. Although Koya bought this cake for Hestia, three-quarters of it ended up in Koya's stomach after Hestia fed it.

After eating and drinking, the two of them lay on the sofa, leaning on each other like salted fish. Although Koya felt that this posture was a little inappropriate, he couldn't break free from Hestia's embrace.

"Lady Hestia, I am truly grateful to this world for allowing me to meet you."

"Hehe, such sweet talk is useless to me."

Looking at Hestia's blushing face, one could tell she wasn't being sincere. While mortals couldn't lie to gods, gods sometimes lied to us. Hestia couldn't help but tighten her grip on Koya's arm. For Hestia, Koya's presence in her time of need was truly a gift from the world.

Chapter 7: Sad Aunt Ji Zi

In another world, Ji Zi looked at the two people who were in love on the screen of her mobile phone, and she seemed to smell a faint sour smell in her nose. The sour smell made her back teeth soften, as if they would break if she bit hard. When she thought about the fact that she had been single since birth, Ji Zi wanted to throw her phone away.

"Did I break the laws of heaven or cause trouble in the underworld? Why do I have to see this? Damn you, system!"

[Friendly reminder, if you don't want to watch, you can actually turn off the screen. I've already said this is a love and idle game. If there is any important news or rewards, I will tell you in advance.]

"Tsk, love, love, you want me to watch others fall in love, right?!"

[Ahem, isn't this the console? Just be patient and wait. You and Keya will have a sweet romance, I promise.]

Ji Zi curled her lips. It was all because of the system that made her see Koya. Now, those handsome guys she thought were attractive before seemed so unbearable compared to Koya. Of course, she would not refuse to have a sweet love affair with Koya, but now there was no plan at all. She always felt that the system was fooling her.

"Changing the subject, do you sell partners in your system mall? Yesterday I carefully observed the situation in the dungeon, and it was obvious that this dungeon was more suitable for the team mode. Your system should have prepared for it."

[Huh, I didn't expect you to find out so quickly.]

The system's tone was a little excited, as if a profiteer finally saw that the customer had taken the bait, and Ji Zi couldn't help but have a bad premonition in her heart.

[Of course there's a buddy system! I was just wondering how to remind you to discover it. Hahaha! Ms. Jizi, let me introduce you to our most proud creation, the card drawing system!]

Fireworks suddenly started to go off on Ji Zi's phone screen, and then a roulette wheel appeared in the center of the screen.

If we hadn't signed a contract with the world, I would have put this in front of you right away. There's no profit in putting a price tag on it. Only card drawing is the way to go!

"Is it really okay to say that to my face?"

[Humph, we are quite confident in this lottery system. Once discovered, no one will be able to refuse it!]

The system began to introduce Ji Zi to this so-called most perfect work. In simple terms, the routine was the same as those card-drawing mobile games that Ji Zi knew. There were two pools in total, the character pool and the equipment pool. If it weren't for the fact that talents and skills were too important and the main system forced them to be clearly marked with prices in the system mall, these subsystems would definitely turn everything into a lottery.

The character pool consists of souls collected by the system from various worlds. They're all currently dormant within the system's space, and the system will resurrect them if they draw. These individuals range from exceptionally gifted warriors to powerless prodigies with unique skills. In short, this pool is full of potential companions who can help Koya. However, because resurrection requires a considerable amount of energy, each draw requires a considerable amount of money.

However, there is one point worth explaining, that is, because this is a love, idle, and card drawing game, the character pool is full of girls. Unlike some games, this system is quite principled!

The weapon pool, like the character pool, is also a collection of unclaimed items collected by the system from various worlds. The weakest of these weapons can cut through iron like mud, while the strongest is a certain interstellar civilization's Cosmic Restart Cannon. While the weapon pool costs less than the character pool, it has different tiers, a kind of unconventional pricing. At least Ji Zi, looking at the Cosmic Restart Cannon-level weapon pool, has no desire to draw from it, because drawing from that pool would cost her world's combined global GDP for ten years...

"Lottery...isn't this a bit too much based on luck?"

Ji Zi hesitated. Although the system clearly stated that even ordinary people had talented individuals with special skills, could someone like a criminal genius also be in the pool? And even if they weren't criminal geniuses, would they draw a partner like a fishing genius who would be of no help to Koya?

[Don't worry, we also go through a strict screening when selecting people to ensure that every girl in the character pool is capable of standing on her own.]

Although Ji Zi was quite excited by the system's words, after looking at the balance of her bank card, Ji Zi could only hope that Theresa's salary supplement would arrive soon... Although she felt that even if Theresa got the funds from her grandfather, the old loli would probably use it right away.

In reality, Jizi understood that even if Theresa spent money on Hom merchandise and comics, how much could she have spent? Most of the money she embezzled went back into Saint Freya. Otherwise, Jizi wouldn't have been so foolish as to never ask Theresa for her salary. However, money could play a greater role in her hands now. However, considering the system's random feedback, Jizi wouldn't reveal the system to Theresa until she could reliably resolve the dangers of artificial stigmata.

[Himeko, Hestia is about to give Koya her first status update! If nothing goes wrong, you'll get another wave of rewards!]

'Is it so easy to get a reward?'

This is the first update to the status system that includes feedback bonuses. Feedback will only be added after significant growth. Also, because of the talent you bought for Koya this time, the boost is expected to be quite significant. Perhaps you'll be able to directly enter the ranks of an S-rank Valkyrie.

Jizi quickly pulled out her phone, her eyes filled with anticipation. However, the moment the screen lit up, Koya was about to take off his shirt. Looking at the perfect young man on the screen, Jizi's anticipation was inexplicably tinged with pink.

[Wow... Jizi, you're really stupid.]

"What are you talking about! Koya is not a paper man, why would I be so stupid just because I'm jealous of him?"

On the other side, in the basement of the abandoned church, there was no such cheerful atmosphere as here in Himeko. Hestia looked at the bruises all over Koya's body and felt so distressed that she almost cried.

"Koya, does it hurt?"

"It's okay. Although it hurts a bit, I'll get used to it soon! I'll also work hard to train myself so that those monsters can't hit me in the future."

"Okay, Koya must grow up quickly."

Hestia pricked her finger with a special needle, letting divine blood drip onto Koya's back. The sacred text glowed faintly and gradually shifted, with familiar numbers dancing before her eyes. When the numbers stopped shifting, the data before her left her at a loss for words...

Chapter 8: The Loser Alliance

Koya's skill and magic bars remained unchanged, so Hestia only copied the changed attributes onto the parchment, so that it could be used again in the next update. After all, paper was quite expensive in this adventure-oriented world, and the Hestia Familia was a small, fledgling family, so money naturally needed to be spent on more important things.

Name: Koya Constantine

Level: Lv1

Attributes: Strength F335 Durability D438 Dexterity F343 Agility F345 Magic 0

How should I put it... Although Hestia is a newbie to the clan, she still understands what this number represents. Adventurers from other clans update their attribute points every few months, and the growth is still in the single digits each time. Koya's growth in one day has exceeded the accumulation of most adventurers in ten years. Such growth even makes Hestia feel a little scared, because if outsiders know Koya's growth rate, he will definitely face great danger.

The Dark Faction has never disappeared from Orario; they simply hide in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to launch a conspiracy. If the Dark Faction knew how fast Koya has grown, they would definitely strangle him without any mercy. The Dark Faction does not want another hero to appear in Orario.

As for Koya's outrageous growth rate, Hestia had a rough guess: it was Koya's first talent. As long as you put in the effort, there will be rewards. Hestia initially thought it was just a talent that slightly increased your growth rate, but now it seems its effect may really be as described.

This talent is really terrifying. For example, if an adventurer keeps killing goblins on the first floor, his attributes will soon stagnate. However, Koya can keep killing and his attributes will keep rising. If it weren't for the condition of great deeds required for upgrading, Koya could probably reach LV9 directly on the first floor.

"Koya, you absolutely must not show your back to anyone. Although I locked your panel, it doesn't mean it's safe. Unlocking potions are not rare on the black market, and there are many people in Orario who can decipher the sacred text."

"Ah."

Koya actually didn't quite understand what the numbers on the parchment in front of him meant, but he kept Hestia's words in mind. Moreover, hiding one's gift panel was a consensus among all adventurers in Orario, and no one would show their cards to others for no reason.

"Hehe, but Koya, you're really amazing! Okay, go to bed early. We still have to go to the dungeon tomorrow, right?"

"Goodnight Hestia."

After saying that, Keya took out his small blanket from the cabinet and lay down on the sofa... It's okay to lie down on the small sofa normally, but it's not very comfortable for sleeping. Keya, who is 1.8 meters tall, lay on the sofa with his legs hanging in the air, and he couldn't even turn over.

"Koya, do you want to sleep here?"

Hestia, who was already lying on the bed covered with a quilt, saw Koya lying on the sofa like a mummy, and her heart warmed up and she said this.

"..."

"Koya, are you asleep? It must be uncomfortable to sleep on the sofa. You have to go to the dungeon tomorrow, and you can't do it without a good rest."

"Hestia…I think I might not be able to help myself if I shared a bed with you."

As soon as these words were spoken, the basement instantly became quiet, and Hestia's face turned the color of an apple; she forgot that Koya was, after all, a twenty-year-old young man full of passion. If something unexpected happened tonight, Hestia wouldn't even be able to complain, after all, it was you who invited him.

While Hestia was daydreaming, Koya had already fallen into a drowsy sleep. He was extremely tired today.

"It...actually, it's not impossible, but Koya, you have to be gentle."

I don't know what kind of psychological struggle she went through, I don't know if Hestia was already thinking about what to name her child, anyway, Hestia hid in the quilt and whispered an invitation here, what a pity.

"Ko…Koya?"

Koya really fell asleep.

"What?! I finally prepared myself mentally! Humph!"

Hestia thought that her virgin career of hundreds of millions of years would end tonight, but the other protagonist actually fell asleep!

The gods are quite open to this kind of thing, and the Greek pantheon is particularly weird. It would be better to say that Hestia, the eldest sister in the Greek pantheon, is the outlier in their eyes. Her title of virgin goddess is well-known in the world of gods. In a chat with her brothers and sisters, Hestia explained that she just wanted to find someone she really liked, and she would not hesitate when she found him!

But this time she still hesitated. She didn't know when she would hesitate again. It could be tomorrow or a long time later.

·Dividing line·

"Damn you, system! Why did you let me see this kind of thing at night?"

"System, you deserve to die!" This sentence has almost become Ji Zi's catchphrase. Seeing the ambiguous couple in the picture, single Ji Zi felt as if her heart was stabbed three times and she almost couldn't hold back and cursed.

[Ahem, what you saw is none of my business. But Koya is pretty good. He managed to get the goddess in just one day. Not bad, not bad. The main system has good vision.]

"Alas. When will you bring this paper-man boyfriend of mine over to have a sweet romance with me?"

"Tsk, Fuxin Jizi. You and Koya haven't even spoken to each other!"

"You, don't you want to talk about love games!"

[Yeah, isn't Koya in love right now? And with a god!]

"Fuck! You want me to play the Godbreaker, right?!"

[Ahem, just kidding. Didn't I tell you a long time ago that you'll be able to contact Keya once the main system wakes up? Don't worry.]

Jizi was still complaining about the system, but she was excited in her heart because she had just become a true S-class Valkyrie. Just as the system said, the feedback from Koya's growth this time directly allowed her to break free from the upper limit of artificial stigmata. Feeling the unprecedented fullness of her body made Jizi understand the power of the system.

"Speaking of systems, you keep talking about us... that is, you have quite a lot of subsystems like this, right? Can you install one for Theresa's phone as well?"

Our subsystems are all independent entities, and I can't send systems to anyone. I can only say that protagonists who are being watched by the world are more likely to find us, but the probability of multiple subsystems appearing in a single world is actually quite low. By the way, since you're talking about this, I have news for you. The other subsystems will probably awaken in the next few days. Although we can't connect to the main system, the subsystems can still communicate with each other. I'll create a group for you, so you can all chat together.

"Artificial Shura Field?"

[Ahem, just consider this our little bit of bad fun. And it doesn't necessarily have to be a Shura Field, since you can't even contact Koya. How about—the Loser Alliance?]

"System...you MSL!"