I liked this chapter, it's a good one to stop for now as we introduce the two side chapters.
After that we'll go back to the normal updates, as of now on Patreon we are very close to start the Recruitment Arc that after that will lead to the Out of Orario Arc.
This Inter chapter was the biggest I made so far as we cover many characters' POVs together with the consequences of the Mc's current actions, if we put everything together, this Inter chapter was about 25-30 chapters long.
I had to make some foreshadowing to some events as I didn't want the mc to meet with a certain character and immediately invite them to his Familia, I wanted to make a small introduction to them before having them join.
Some of the characters from the game are pretty cool and they'll certainly make the Hestia Familia pretty strong.
And if we go with the idea of giving Haruhime some sort of Exilia Boosting magic, then by the time Cannon was supposed to start, the Hestia Familia, without Silver, would likely have some adventurers that could match to the Level 6s they had in the main story.
Especially when you consider some of their Skills and Magic abilities...
Anyway, I'll leave you all to the chapter.
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/Around an hour later atop Babel…/
"Phew... I managed to give her a good name..." A male God said as he awaited for the elevator
"At least it wasn't as bad as Hypnos'..." Another God replied as he shook his head
"That's what he gets for being all lazy though, he should've tried a little harder."
/Chatter…/
'The Denatus had ended, and the Gods slowly left Babel with satisfied expressions... Most at least.'
'As everything had been resolved, it was time to calm down and wait, to let the dust settle, and that was especially true for the Guild, that now found themselves with a lot of work to do thanks to the slow deterioration of the Ishtar Familia.'
'Though the repercussions of this event would affect many for many months to come, the brunt of the matter had already ended.'
"Siiiiigh…"
'Sitting on the stone benches, Hestia rested her head on the stony benches as she sighed loudly.'
'Her expression was heavy as she stared at the ceiling teary-eyed.'
'She had tried to fight, but everyone's voices were so loud… In the end, she ended up defeated and her carefully built Alias ended up being thrown away...'
'Many names were proposed, most stupid, yet somehow fitting…'
'She used her very best to refuse all of the ridiculous ones, her friends tried to support her, but even then, there were still names that, when directly translated, would mean something along the lines of…'
"Hot boy… Un-Mage… Blazing Romanticist?!" She mumbled as she rolled from one side to the other
I can understand where they are coming from with some of those, but...
Burning fighting fighter?!
I also want to know who dared to call him PIMP!
'That one really set her off... And a few others too! No wonder the guy in question got beaten up and thrown out of the Denatus while everyone laughed at the poor... Stupid sod.'
"Why did they even think of that?!" Hestia complained as she shook her legs like a kid throwing a tantrum
'However, the Gods had already left so no one heard or saw her…'
'Even her close friends said that they would meet her some other time.'
'This was because they knew what would happen now.'
'There was someone Hestia needed to meet first.'
/DING!/
'As her emotions took over her body, the elevator bell rang, indicating it had once again made its way up, it's last for today.'
"Excuse me." Someone said as he left the elevator
"Hm?"
'Calming down, Hestia raised her head, staring at the newcomer.'
"Apologies for my sudden arrival, I was instructed to accompany you." The man said with an extremely formal bow
'It wasn't someone she knew, but it was someone she recognized because it was impossible not to.'
'A fat Elf with white hair, green eyes, and short legs, wearing a black suit that follows the basic Guild design while also being of much better quality than any other employed by it.'
'He was very fat, but not enough for him to be distorted, he was an orderly fat person.'
(Image)
'It was...'
"Huh? You are?..."
There is only a single fat elf in this city...
"It's an honor to meet you, I'm Royman Mardeel, currently acting as the Guild's Head."
"If I may be allowed to be blunt, Ouranos wishes to meet with you." He said calmly and formally as he tried his best to bow, though his fat made it difficult for him to do so without losing balance
"!"
Ouranos…
Looks like I won't be able to escape it…
'Hestia bit her lips in frustration, now that the matter had been brought forward she knew exactly why he wanted to meet with her.'
'Or at least thought of a reason.'
'She was just a tad slower than the others who already realized this was going to happen.'
'There was no point in refusing, just like how he wanted to meet with her, she wanted to meet him also, and now that he sought her first, why not go and have a talk?'
'So without any excuses, she followed Royman into the elevator.'
…
[20...]
[13...]
[8...]
[2...]
[1...]
"Huh?"
'As the elevator descended, she quickly realized something strange.'
The elevator went beyond the first floor?!
'Royman quickly saw this, no, he had been waiting for it.'
"Do not fret, in order to guarantee your safety, I'll be escorting you through one of the secret passages overseen by the Guild."
"Secret passage?!"
"This one isn't exactly a secret, many know of them, this includes Goddess Freya, Ganesha, and Loki."
"They just aren't used that much, however, they were constructed in order to facilitate movement and communication between all sections of the city while maintaining a certain level of secrecy."
Albeit, this one, in particular, has been built to facilitate communications with Goddess Freya...
"They were greatly expanded after the…"
'Royman went silent, but even Hestia knew of the event he was talking about.'
'The Dark Age, a period of Death and War, where numerous Gods were sent back to Heaven and innocent Souls were deprived of their lives.'
/DING/
'The elevator stopped, and it opened its doors, revealing a long stony corridor that went on and on, illuminated by many pairs of magical torches that went as far as the eye could see.'
"This path connects directly with the Guild, it is of immense importance it remains hidden." He said as he walked forward
'He didn't imply anything, but Hestia understood he was asking her to keep her mouth to herself.'
'Or at least to those she trusted greatly.'
'So she nodded and followed.'
…
/Step step…/
'But the more she walked, the more she realized her surroundings.'
"So many magic stones…"
By their size, they must be at least from the Deep floors.
'Silver had a habit of showing Hestia some of the things he acquired in the Dungeon, her job working for Hephaestus also helped her in getting accustomed to the many materials the Dungeon had to offer.'
'So she recognized it all without much trouble.'
"Indeed, and if you noticed, the walls are also made of Dir Adamantite, an impure version of Adamantite, as making entire corridors out of it would be an incredibly costly endeavor." Royman said as he sweated slightly, the very thought of such expanses made him shudder
"They were made to resist blows of up to Level 5 in strength, albeit that in itself is a stretch, even then, despite their cost, their security is guaranteed because above us are many meters of hard stone."
'Royman wiped his forehead with a handkerchief as he spoke.'
"Even then, maintenance costs are in the tens of millions."
"..."
/Gulp…/
'Hestia could only wonder how much money the Guild used daily…'
…
/Crack!/
'Finally, they arrived at the end of the corridor where Royman pushed a small metallic lever, and the wall moved on its own.'
'Passing through it, Hestia was quick to notice the Guild's traditional decorations that can be recognized everywhere.'
'They seemed to be inside a private room, though Hestia couldn't tell if they were still underground or not.'
"Outside this room, if you follow the corridor to your right, you'll arrive at Ourano's chambers, as for me, I shall return to my duties."
"Have a nice Afternoon Goddess Hestia." He said as he stepped out of the door, taking a left as he disappeared into another corner
"... He's fast, just like he said."
'Royman was always busy, so much so that, despite only being 150 years old, barely even middle age for an Elf, he already looks like a grandpa.'
'All due to stress, some say his narrow-minded, quick-to-anger personality is also due to stress, albeit when dealing with the Gods, he's as passive as a docile pig, one of the reasons for his nickname, the Guild's pig.'
'Albeit this name came into fruition by other Elves than anyone else.'
So it's all me now huh?...
'Slightly nervous to meet Ouranos after so long, Hestia made her way to the dark chamber at the end of the path.'
…
/Step.../
/Echo…/
'Her steps echoed as she arrived at a massive open space whose ends she couldn't properly tell due to the darkness.'
'But in the middle of the room, she saw a set of stairs leading to a high throne surrounded by a few tall torchers, the only lights in this room.'
'Casting a shadow that disappeared into the darkness... A single old man sat atop a stony golden throne.'
(Image)
"It has been quite some time…"
"Hasn't it, Hestia?" Ouranos said in his somber voice as he looked at Hestia, his body almost completely still
"Ouranos… I guess it has." Hestia said as her eyes sharpened
Even in Heaven, it has been quite some time since I last saw him...
Was it when I passed my position in the 12 seats to Dionysus?
"I imagine this is due to Silver." She asked as her expression turned serious
"You are correct." He replied without hesitation
"Haha… I already stated this before, but I didn't…"
"That I'm already aware, also do not misunderstand, I'm not here to punish you, there is no need for you to justify yourself." Ouranos replied calmly as he cut her off
'His hands never moved, clutching onto the arms of the throne silently, his eyes never blinked, always staring at Hestia, his lips only opened and closed as words were pronounced, not even his head moved.'
'He was like a talking statue, only observing, momentarily replying…'
'If it wasn't for that, the moment he closes his eyes to focus on his task, he would literally look like one.'
'Thankfully, dust doesn't gather around his body.'
"So… Is this about…"
"There are many things I would like to discuss with you, and it seems it's the same for you."
"I'll tell you everything you wish to know, but in exchange, I would like it if you could listen to what I have to say as well." He proclaimed
"..."
'She frowned, but then nodded. If it was only listening... Then there was nothing bad in agreeing, right?'
"Alright, so firstly, I would like to ask… How?"
"Hm..."
'Ouranos silently stared at Hestia as he pondered, it was unknown what he was thinking about... Until he opened his mouth.'
"The potential hidden within mortals is boundless, wasn't this why you and many others descended? To see for themselves what kind of stories they could make if they were given the means to write it?"
"Hestia, you weren't the first one to come to me for this question, before you, many others also had doubt and confusion grow within their hearts when their children started to display bits and pieces of their own individualities and even Arcanum."
"!"
W-What?!
"Some proud, some fearful, there isn't a right or wrong in this, as it doesn't infringe onto the rules we agreed upon."
"They say that the Children take up from their Blessing, and usually, this is proven true."
"So the only question here is, how do you feel about it?"
'His words came one after the other without stopping, not even stuttering once, he knew exactly what to say and in what tone.'
'This was the experience of Ouranos that stood in the mortal plane for 1000 years.''
"How… I feel about it?" She mumbled
Grief...
But is it right to stop him... After everything that happened?...
'She thought on and on, and Ouranos allowed her to do so.'
"... Alright, I think I know what to do now." She replied with a light smile
'Ouranos observed her silently, it wasn't very noticeable, perhaps it was even an illusion, but he seemed to smile for a moment..'
"Though, it doesn't mean we are done here." She said quickly as she took a piece of paper that was strapped to her waist
"I've had a question for a very long time, and many times I considered coming here to ask it since no one could answer it…"
"Could you help me?... No, can I trust you?" She asked as she raised her head
"..."
'Her question was much deeper than it seemed, and it even started to infringe on some of his personal rules, so Ouranos once again stood quiet.'
'Eventually, he spoke:'
"I cannot promise much, however, I'll not push away someone in need of guidance, and neither will I speak of this once it's done."
"So you may present to me your question at ease, as it won't leave the confines of this temple nor reach the ears of anyone else currently in this room."
'She nodded, climbing the stairs of his throne to give the paper to him.'
"Can you tell me what these symbols mean?" She asked as she raised the paper
"Hm..."
...
[J-1###]
...
"!"
'Ouranos eyebrows changed a little as he read the paper.'
'And with a look of enlightenment, he asked:'
"Is this the current state of your children's Status?"
"... Yes." Hestia replied upon thinking it would be useless to deny or try to lead him on
'Ouranos' eyes closed.'
"In that case, I cannot give you a satisfactory answer."
"Huh?! Why?"
After everything... Is this how it ends?!
"In simple terms, you must already be aware of what this is."
"This is a Status bug."
"It happens when the blessing cannot properly display the intrinsic values of a Child's vessel as it was supposed to anymore."
"However, the reasons for this are numerous, and like before, you weren't the first one to come to me regarding such a question."
"I cannot give you a decisive answer as it would infringe upon the realm of speculation."
'Hestia became pensive, this side of her was a rare one, she was thinking and thinking all for the sake of the person she cared about...'
'No, she would act like this for all of her children!'
"In that case… Allow me to use my Divinity... To explain it all properly!" She said quickly, correcting herself
'Ouranos expression did not change, but his eyes seemed to have opened a little more.'
"...Whatever shall be discussed in this temple won't leave the confines of it." He repeated in a low tone
"Then… Here!" She said decisively as she opened her palms, where speckles of light slowly gathered into a translucent sheet
'Hestia was using her Arcanum, it wasn't much, too small to even affect the Dungeon, but potent enough for her to explain everything to him.'
'Such small applications of it wasn't what Ouranos intended to prevent with the rules he set upon the mortal plane.'
'However, just like how a fight in a bar could spiral out of control, if Gods were allowed to play around here and there, one day, someone would slip, and this small slip would be fatal.'
----------------------------------
Mellios Silver
Level-3
Strength SSS-1499
Vitality SSS-1499
Dexterity SSS-1499
Agility SSS-1499
Magic J-1###
Evolved body -> H
Perseverance -> F
Geneticist -> H
Magic:
>Magnum Opus Ambrosia
Skills:
>Vit Alhjin
>Infir David Missimus
>Neo Stur
>Decretum Proficiscor
----------------------------------
"..."
She is still a bit cautious.
His Level up had been confirmed, yet she shows me this...
The lower world has changed her... But has anyone not changed?
'Ouranos's expression did not alter as he read it, albeit, upon finishing it all, he closed his eyes momentarily to think.'
'He seemed to be thinking about something pretty serious as his expression even changed slightly'
"Overlimit, it all makes sense now." He said slowly as his eyes opened
"..."
Over... Limit?
'Hestia on the other hand stared nervously at him, she wanted him to elaborate further.'
"Focus Hestia, your mind is too chaotic." Ouranos said in a louder tone, shaking her awake from her thoughts
"!... I'm sorry..."
"There is nothing to apologize, the mystery of the unknown has both twisted and motivated many Mortals and Gods alike over the Eras."
'He stopped momentarily to think about a proper explanation before continuing:'
"Originally, the passage from his current Status into a higher one wasn't supposed to lead to a Status bug."
'Hestia became even more confused.'
"Then… Why?"
"It's due to this Skill." He said as he raised his right hand to point forward
'Due to the way Hestia showed him Silver's Status, using her Arcanum, Ouranos managed to see everything through the Divine Hieroglyphs just like how she does whenever she updates his Status.'
'This gave him the overall view of the adventurer he was, allowing him to understand everything.'
"An extremely rare Growth-type Skill, one that rewards him for every successful challenge he takes and overcomes, thus incentivizing danger over everything else."
Together with an also never seen before type of magic that allows him to cover for multiple fronts at the same time.
His growth makes sense now.
'Ouranos even seemed to speak at a slower pace, as if to give time for Hestia to process everything he was about to say.'
"Wait, you said it was rare, does it mean others had it?"
"... Of course."
"Though I find it difficult to say who was the last person that had one…"
'He thought for a moment, but upon remembering it, he let out a tired sigh, which was extremely out of character!'
"I remember now… The Empress, the only Level 9 adventurer Orario ever produced." He talked slowly and with some lingering emotions
Even then, her Growth Skill was not as prominent as his.
"L-Level 9?!..."
'Ouranos moved his head and nodded.'
"A golden age of growth, heroic talents gathered at great numbers during a time of strife to take down the World's greatest threats."
"At those times where talent gathered, even the weakest supporter was borderline what is now called a First Class adventurer."
"She was Hera's child… A woman of great conviction and power..."
"And just as… 'Unique' as her." He said slowly, minding his words
"H-Huh… I see…" Hestia said with a helpless smile
'Hera was well known across Heaven alongside him, Zeus, and even Loki, but not for a good reason…'
'Well... Loki wasn't known for being a good person anyway, her pass time involved invading the territories of those she found annoying and killing them after pranking them multiple times.'
'While Zeus was a worldwide pervert, or as he called, romanticist.'
'Hera herself was a hysterical and nonsensical woman that never lost an argument… Because she always refused to admit it...'
'So crazy even Loki would stay away.'
"In any case, we are stranding off topic." Ouranos said as he focused
"Just as this Skill allows him to go beyond his limits by rewarding his efforts, it wasn't what allowed him to go over the Status limit most are acquainted with."
"His first Skill is the culprit, one that heavily alters his body, and through it, his Vessel's size increased, albeit not enough for him to reach these values."
"Only through his hard work and effort while under the effects of his Skill did he manage to grow beyond that, stretching his limits."
"Yet, just as his Skill gave him a limit higher than most, it also limited him."
'His voice became deeper as he questioned Hestia:'
"You're also aware of that, aren't you Hestia? You must've never thought he would even reach those didn't you?"
"..."
'She bit her lips.'
"... In the end, this was the reason why he stopped growing, and as you saw, it eventually stopped at a set value."
"But he went beyond that didn't he?" She asked him with a frown
"Yes, that's exactly where the problem lies."
"His Vessel was large, and his blessing had no problem displaying his Status as long as it was within its bearable limits."
"The Hieroglyphs were capable of displaying his changes as they were within the parameters set up by the Gods, everything was explainable."
"But somehow, he outgrew it, and with his Vessel changing to hold more, problems started to arise."
"The blessing wasn't capable of representing the values because they didn't make sense anymore, as he outgrew his Vessel, but it wasn't a Level up."
"His body had changed and it could now hold more, yet that wasn't supposed to be possible due to his Skill's effect."
"As such, a Status bug occurred."
'Hestia's eyes opened wide as an answer was finally given to her.'
'But then, she grimaced, it seemed there was no way for her to fix the root of the problem.'
"There is no need to look down in grief, there is a way to fix this problem."
"Really?"
'Ouranos exhaled slightly...'
"It seems there was a lot more to discuss than what I initially thought." Ouranos stated as he looked at Hestia
'And indeed there was, Hestia still had many questions, and Ouranos had yet to say his line to her.'
'What did he want to share with her?' She wondered
'Their debate was only beginning.'
…
/At the same time in the surface…/
'A man and a woman walked on the busy streets of the city, seemingly with no goal.'
"Hermes-Sama? What are you thinking about?" Asfi questioned as she followed Hermes
In the past few weeks, Hermes-Sama has been thinking more and more.
He rarely even jokes anymore!
"Hm? Ah! Apologies Asfi, I didn't intend on leaving you hanging for so long."
"You didn't leave me hanging!" She replied bluntly as her expression grew stale
And what do you mean for so long? Did you intend on doing so from the start?!
"A lot has been on my mind recently, just that." Hermes said deeply as he looked around
/Growl…/
"?!"
'Asfi's stomach suddenly grumbled and she immediately flushed.'
'And Hermes shook his head in pity and self-gloat.'
"I'm truly an evil guy, pulling you around with me all the time and not even giving you a proper meal, let's stop by somewhere and grab a bite, I'll pay."
"Hermes-Sama… You do know your money was all made by us right?" She said in a sudden twist
'Hermes felt a dagger stab his chest.'
"COUGH! I-I'm fully aware Asfi! I thank you and everyone for the hard work!"
"Asfi Banzai…?!"
'Just as Hermes was about to scream, Asfi blocked his mouth, embarrassed as she looked around only to see some people staring at them, making her very uncomfortable.'
"I already understand now, please stop!"
'And with that, she started walking forward.'
"..."
'But when she did, Hermes' expression changed as he pulled his hat down to hide it.'
Hope…
Have I found it?
There is still time, but is it enough?
Zeus...
…
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Notes
I actually wanted to show the Empress Status here, but I ended up not, it would've been a pain in the ass to try and come up with it.
Considering the Author of Danmachi, her Status would be completely and utterly insane.
Imagine at least 8 development abilities, if not more through Skills...
At least 4 Skills as well, Zald had 3, Ottar has 2, Alfia had 3 too while Finn has 5, but they are all pretty meh, the other Skills are all pretty damn cool.
She would likely have 3 magic slots too, and their magics would be pretty strong.
Likely one that is a single-target massive attack, a self-buff of some kind, and perhaps an area buff since she was the Empress.
Her Stats at every Level would've likely been pretty high too, I can't see her being weak at all.
That is how she would likely be, seeing as the strongest the character is when they are first introduced, the more OP to the world settings they are.
This is the way the author wrote his story lel.