The basement of the old church that served as Hestia Familia's headquarters was filled with the aroma of simple cooking.
Oil lamps danced along the stone walls, creating shadows that moved slowly. In the center of the room, Bell, Kazuma, and Goddess Hestia sat around a low table, enjoying their dinner.
"Then after the third goblin monster, I managed to find my way to the fifth floor!" Bell recounted enthusiastically, his eyes sparkling. "There, I encountered a group of kobolds and—"
"Bell-kun, eat slowly," Hestia interrupted, smiling at the young adventurer's behavior. "You might choke."
Kazuma chewed his food silently, occasionally nodding as he listened to Bell's story. Although he already knew most of Bell's stories from the anime he had watched before, hearing it directly from the person involved felt different—more vibrant and full of spirit.
"Sorry, Goddess," Bell laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm just... very excited. Today felt different. I was stronger, faster... as if all my training suddenly paid off!"
Kazuma smiled slightly. Of course. That's the effect of your Realis Phrase skill, Bell. Your growth status has surged because of your feelings for Aiz.
Hestia let out a long sigh, then set down her rice bowl. "Oh, by the way, something interesting happened at the jagamarukun stall today," she said, trying to change the subject from Bell's dungeon story.
"What happened, Goddess?" Bell asked curiously.
"There was a young boy," Hestia began telling her story, her face beaming. "He came with coins he had saved for weeks to buy jagamarukun. His face was so enthusiastic! But when counted, his money was still slightly short."
"Then?" Bell looked at the small goddess with great interest.
"Of course, I gave him extra jagamarukun as a bonus!" Hestia proudly patted her chest. "You should have seen his happy face! He promised to come back tomorrow with his friends!"
"The Goddess is truly kind," Bell praised sincerely.
"No, no," Hestia waved her hands, although her face looked pleased with the compliment. "That's just good business! Regular customers are valuable assets, you know?"
Kazuma smiled watching their interaction. There was genuine warmth between Bell and Hestia—a bond that had grown in a short time yet felt so sincere. As someone who had just joined, he felt like an observer from the outside.
"What about you, Kazuma-san?" Bell suddenly asked, turning his attention to him. "How are your ribs now?"
"Much better," Kazuma answered, touching the area that had previously felt painful. "Almost no pain anymore."
"That's strange," Hestia furrowed her brow, looking at Kazuma carefully. "Regeneration that fast... isn't normal, even for adventurers blessed with Falna."
"Maybe it has something to do with my status?" asked Kazuma, also curious.
"Hmm," Hestia placed her finger on her chin, thinking. "Perhaps. But there was no regeneration skill recorded when I last checked."
"Is it possible for a new skill to appear in such a short time?" Bell asked.
"It rarely happens, but it's not impossible," Hestia answered. Finishing the last bite of her food, she stood up with an enthusiastic expression.
"Alright! After eating, let's check both your statuses! I'm curious about your development."
After finishing their meal, they cleared away the dishes and prepared a place for status updates. Bell looked very excited, while Kazuma just nodded calmly, though there was a glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Who wants to be checked first?" asked Hestia.
"Kazuma-san can go first," Bell offered. "I want to know what makes his recovery so quick."
Kazuma nodded and took off his shirt, then lay face down on the simple bed in the room. His muscular back was fully exposed, with no signs of the injuries that were previously visible.
Hestia performed the same ritual as yesterday—dropping a drop of her blood onto her index finger, then touching it to Kazuma's back. The Falna tattoo on Kazuma's back glowed bluish in the dark, displaying the latest status.
Hestia's eyes widened as she read the information that appeared.
"W-what is this?" she whispered in surprise.
"What is it, Goddess?" asked Bell, trying to peek from behind Hestia's shoulder, though he couldn't read the writing in the language of the gods.
Hestia didn't answer, her eyes still fixed on Kazuma's back. Slowly, she wrote the status on a piece of paper and handed it to Kazuma who had already gotten up and was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"See for yourself," she said.
The paper read:
Kazuma Shinrai
Hestia Familia
Level 1
Status:
STR (Strength): H 240
VIT (Endurance): E 430
DEX (Precision): F 360
AGI (Agility): F 426
MAG (Magic): I 0
Skills:
- Adaptable Fighter: Allows quick adaptation to opponent's fighting style.
- Martial Memory: Ability to remember and apply fighting techniques that have been learned or witnessed.
- Kyokushin's Recovery Stance: Accelerates recovery of stamina/injuries when not moving.
Magic: -
Kazuma read the paper in silence, but his eyes widened when he saw the third skill listed. Kyokushin's Recovery Stance? That explained the phenomenon he had experienced throughout the day—accelerated recovery when he performed the Kyokushin meditation stance.
"Three skills?" Hestia muttered. "And all of them are very powerful!"
Hestia shook her head, still looking disbelieving. "This isn't normal, Kazuma-kun. Most adventurers need months, even years to get one skill. But you... three skills in less than a week?"
Kazuma just shrugged, looking equally surprised. "Maybe because of my previous fighting experience? I've been training since I was young."
"Maybe," Hestia answered, although her tone was still skeptical. "But still... this is extraordinary."
"So that's why my ribs healed so quickly," Kazuma pointed to the last skill on the paper. "Kyokushin's Recovery Stance. When I'm still in the Kyokushin meditation position, my body heals quickly."
"Bell-kun!" Hestia suddenly exclaimed, about to tell Bell about Kazuma's new skill, but before she could finish her sentence, Kazuma quickly covered the small goddess's mouth with his hand.
"Goddess, can we talk for a moment?" Kazuma whispered in Hestia's ear, while slowly pulling her away from Bell who looked at them in confusion.
"What does this mean, Kazuma-kun?" asked Hestia after they were in a corner of the room somewhat far from Bell.
"Please keep my healing skill a secret from Bell," Kazuma requested in a low voice.
"Why?" Hestia frowned, not understanding.
"This could be a trump card," Kazuma explained. "Just imagine in a battle, enemies think I'm defeated because I'm severely injured, but suddenly I recover and can fight again. That element of surprise could turn around seemingly impossible situations."
Hestia seemed to consider that explanation for a moment. "But Bell-kun is your familia comrade. It's not good to keep secrets from your own comrade."
"Just for now," Kazuma assured. "I just want to maintain a tactical advantage. If Bell doesn't know, his reaction will be more natural if we encounter powerful enemies. You can tell him that my body indeed has high endurance and recovery, without mentioning the specific skill."
Hestia still looked hesitant but finally nodded. "Alright, just this once. But I don't like lying to Bell-kun."
"Thank you, Goddess," Kazuma smiled gratefully.
They returned to where Bell was still looking at them curiously.
"What's going on?" asked Bell.
"Oh, nothing," Hestia smiled, trying to look natural. "I just wanted to say that Kazuma-kun's body is indeed special. He has a natural recovery speed higher than most people. That's why he healed so quickly."
"I see," Bell nodded, seeming to accept the explanation. "That's amazing, Kazuma-san!"
"Alright, now it's your turn, Bell-kun," Hestia patted the spot beside her, gesturing for Bell to lie down.
Bell nodded eagerly, then took off his shirt and lay face down. Kazuma kept his distance, observing the status update ritual carefully.
As she had done with Kazuma, Hestia dropped a drop of her blood onto Bell's back. The Falna tattoo glowed, and Hestia began reading Bell's latest status.
"This..." Hestia's eyes widened, far more surprised than when reading Kazuma's status. "Impossible!"
"What is it, Goddess?" asked Bell, looking up with concern.
Hestia didn't immediately answer. Her hand trembled as she wrote Bell's status on a piece of paper. After finishing, she handed the paper to Bell.
"See for yourself," she said, her voice trembling.
Bell took the paper and read it. His eyes grew wider as he read each line.
"EEEHHHH?!" Bell shouted in surprise, suddenly rising and almost tripping over his own feet. "H-how is this possible? All my attributes... increased so drastically in one day?"
Kazuma smiled slightly. Realis Phrase was working well, as expected.