85 Chapter 82: Beginning of an Adventure

Hestia brought Bell into her dilapidated home, the abandoned church in the ruins of Orario.

But Bell didn't really care about that and he was all smiles.

"T-this is the only thing I can afford for now, Bell. Are you alright with this?" Hestia fidgeted around in shame.

"Goddess, a roof over our head is good enough. As long as water doesn't leak, and drafts aren't a problem, then it's alright." He smiled.

"Ohh, okay!" Hestia grinned, thanking the heavens that her first child is such a saint.

They then entered the abandoned church and she began the process of giving him her falna.

"Okay, Bell. Strip." Hestia ordered and Bell opened his eyes wide in shock.

"W-what!? Did you lie about being a celestial virgin?" Bell blinked dumbly, hiding his body with his arms.

"Wha!? No! It's to give you the falna, you idiot!" Hestia fumed, she doesn't wear her title with pride like Athena or Artemis, but she wasn't no desperate bitch.

"Oh... My bad." Bell scratched his head sheepishly. Remembering Alfia's words to avoid hussies at all cost.

Or she will come knocking, and he doesn't want to know what would happen.

Hestia pricked her finger to give him her ichor and his back glowed.

"Oh, Hestia. You've finally found your first child? Congratulations." Artemis clapped at the side.

The goddess of the hunt has softened up since the event of the Ersos ruins. And Hestia felt complicated about it all.

"Umu, it's because I'm a hard-working goddess!" Hestia's smugness rolled in waves.

Bell chuckled and Hestia finished up her bestowing of falna. But she scrunched up her face at the sight of a skill.

'What is this? Ambitio Freese? Burning desire, a longing, an ambition to reach the pedestal in which they stand upon.'

Hestia read the description of it and she was shocked at what it can do.

As long as the skill-bearer's ambition does not waver. Then his burning passion will lead him to the steps of divinity.

The stronger hus ambition, the faster he could do so.

'This is really, really dangerous... I need to talk to someone before telling Bell about this.' Hestia broke into a cold sweat.

Just imagining the gods knowing about his skill gave her anxiety.

"Are you done, goddess? You suddenly stilled." Bell asked and Artemis also noticed her surprised expression.

"Y-yeah, welcome!" Hestia gave him his stat sheet and Bell looked at it with awe.

Even though all of his stats were at zero, he could finally start his adventure.

"Thanks goddess! I'll report this to the guild and I will receive my starter pack from them!" Bell wanted to go into the dungeon immediately.

After he left, Artemis raised a brow at her. "Did he have something ridiculous in his falna? Just like Orion?"

"Wha? So you've finally started to climb the stairs of adulthood huh?" Hestia smirked at her and Artemis turned into a stuttering mess.

"But what did you see Lars do? Is he that ridiculous? Well... Bell has a skill to accumulate excelia as long as his ambition doesn't cool down. And his gain is relative to it." Hestia revealed.

"That's... Overpowered, the gods will have a field day with him." Artemis imagined the chaos.

"Yeah, so I want to ask you and the others about it first." Hestia frowned.

"Then let's have a meeting." Artemis nodded with furrowed brows.

She then called the other goddesses that they trusted.

__Monstro__

Lars returned from his deep dive. "Whew, that was intense." He rubbed his torso, remembering the mini boss on the 69th floor.

The ice dragon that Alfia mentioned had a sharp tail with an icicle on it.

And it stabbed him with it. "That thing was approximately level 8. I would've been turned into a popsicle if I fight without my whole arsenal." Lars sighed.

"Lars, you've returned. We have made decisions to find all the entrances and exits of Knossos when you were diving the dungeon." Ranye waved at him.

"I see, then the ANBU must be searching for it? Good decisions, we've taught Airmid well." Lars nodded in satisfaction.

"We'll definitely find them. Those bastards will get what's coming for them in due time." Ranye squinted her eyes.

"Oh, definitely. I'm waiting for that time, they've proven to be... Elusive, but that's going to end soon." Lars grinned.

Alfia then walked up to them as she noticed the mana beacon that is Lars. His mana is so thick and strong that she could see it from a mile away now.

"Lars, I want to go to the surface. MON can protect Monstro now, I have an objective." Alfia asked of him.

"Hmm? Did Bell already find a familia?" Lars was impressed that he managed to find one.

"Un, he's been working at a jagamarkun stand to make ends meet. You should know who it is, by now." Alfia gave him a clue.

"Ahhh, Hestia huh? Then he made a good decision at least." Lars shrugged and Alfia nodded.

"I will be mentoring him full-time for now. My Bell will accomplish great things." Alfia was sure of it.

"Okay, you doting auntie." Lars chuckled and she smacked him.

"Don't call me that! It makes me feel old." Alfia glared at him.

"Don't worry, you do not look old anyways." Lars kissed her and she snorted. But she accepted his logic for now.

"Any news from ANBU, Ranye?" Lars asked her while she was still there.

"Nothing that important, it's just that the Loki familia is going for an expedition." Ranye reported.

Monstro already knew of it and they're preparing for it, as the Loki familia are planning to dive to the 59th floor.

Their record was the 51st floor. Expeditions were extremely hard. There was a reason why the Zeus and Hera familias had level 4 or 5 supporters.

They had to guard their supplies fiercely. Or the whole familia's morale and integrity will crumble inside the depths of the dungeon.

"I see..." Lars rubbed his chin in thought. 'Well, I haven't hanged out with Ais and Riveria for some time. Maybe I should go with them?'

He also didn't know anything about the prowess of the Loki familia except Ais who he's quite close with.

And as one of the only familias that can be a threat to Monstro, he wanted to know more.

Fels was a great help in giving them the skills and magic of the various notable adventurers in Orario, but he wants to see it firsthand.

"Tell Airmid to keep on cracking the Ikelos familia's hideout. I will go with the Loki familia to scout them out." Lars ordered and Ranye saluted.

The arachne scuttled along and Lars smiled. "Ais and Riveria huh, guess I'll bring some jagamarkuns."

__Twilight Manor__

Currently, the familia already reported to the guild that they would be going for a deep expedition.

"Finn, I think we should ask some support for this expedition. You remember what happened just a few weeks ago." Riveria walked up to the legal shouta.

"Ahhh... When Artemis-sama's arcanum was hijacked by an ancient monster?" Finn rubbed his thumb as he remembered the second moon that formed in the sky.

He definitely thought that it was the end of the line. Now, he understands how dangerous and out of reach the gods are.

And without the help of the Freya familia, the monster stampede that resulted of Artemis' arcanum going haywire would've destroyed Orario.

Though the two top familias did thought that it was weird that nothing came from the deeper floors.

The only ones from the deep floors that arrived near the surface came from the 37th to 48th floor.

Not that they were complaining. As an army of fomoires would definitely be out of their paygrade.

"I agree, Finn. We don't know what's happening down there. The more the merrier, right?" Gareth chuckled.

"Yeah, my thumb isn't hurting. But I've got a feeling about this expedition. And when I thought of bringing in some allies, I felt more secure." Finna agreed with their decision.

"Then, I guess I should give Lars and Alise a call. They'll be valua-" Riveria got cut off as the doors of their familia home got kicked down.

"An intruder!? Heh, what a brave bastard you are." Argana licked her lips as she looked at the entrance.

"Argana, wait!" Finn tried to stop her, but she charged at the person who kicked down their entrance.

But she was suddenly slugged on the face and the level 6 amazoness crashed through multiple walls before stopping.

The shockwave blew away the dust cloud and everyone stilled at who was at the entrance.

"L-Lars? Are you an idiot? Why didn't you just enter the place normally?" 'And did he just neutralize a level 6 like that?' Riveria was shocked out of her mind.

As far as they know, Lars is only a level 3. "Yo, how are you doing?" Lars greeted nonchalantly.

Gritting his teeth, Bete glared at Lars. His audacity made him bristle, the twilight manor was his territory after all.

"You fucking bastard! I'll crush you!" Bete's hotheadedness prevailed, forgetting that Argana can beat the absolute shit out of him.

"Hey, hey, I told you guys to put your dog in a leash. It's always the dogs named cupcake that bites." Lars dodged him and he put a collar on Bete.

"Down, boy! You're too excited. Come on poochy boo, haven't gotten the rabies vaccine yet?" Lars clapped at him.

'Why can't I move?' Bete tried to move as hard as he could. But Lars' psychokinesis prevented him from doing so.

"Lars... You troublemaker." Riveria glared at him while Gareth laughed.

"Lars! Long time no see!" Ais was like a speeding rocket as she used reinforcement and her wind to jump at him like a bullet.

"Woah, easy there princess. That would've definitely killed a normal person." Lars cushioned her with compressed wind and he spun around as he grabbed her.

"Sorry... Haven't seen you in a while." Ais apologized as she looked at him like a puppy that saw their human return from work.

"I've been busy, had some things needed to be done outside. Sorry about that." Lars smiled at her fondly as he ruffled her hair.

"Hah, did you really need to break down the front entrance like that?" Finn sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"It's much more fun that way, where's the excitement in knocking? Ain't that right, Loki?" Lars laughed.

"Yuppers! But you're still paying for the damages." Loki chuckled at his antics. They got along for a reason.

And Loki wasn't stupid enough to not dig about Demeter's favorite child. If Demeter so chooses, she could make the world move against somebody.

"You! We're not done!" Argana licked her lips ferociously.

"Damn, that's hot. But I'm not in the mood." Lars shrugged and Ais glared at them both.

For his comment and that Argana was ready to fight him in a death battle.

"Argana, calm down. Lars is a guest here, no matter what you think or want." Bache calmed her down and Argana clicked her tongue.

Her instincts were flaring. She wanted to kidnap him and make kids. Even Finn or Gareth can't just smack her away like how he did it earlier.

And she could still remember their first time meeting. Argana can only imagine how much stronger he was, now.

"Tch, I'll get you someday." Argana bit her lip in desire and Lars smiled wrly at Ais who pouted at him.

"It's not my fault that I'm pulling ladies left and right." Lars raised a brow at Ais.

"Lars!" Riveria shouted at him for tainting Ais with thought of philandering.

"What? It's true." Loki shrugged and Riveria rubbed her temples.

"Anyways, you should've thought of contacting me through the guild already, haven't you? Riveria." Lars grinned at her and her face twitched.

'Hah, can this guy read minds?' Riveria sighed and she was starting to doubt if trying to invite them was a good idea.

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Thanks for reading everyone, I've been having 16 hour shifts for almost a month now. Shit's tough on me, just can't think or even try to post when you just want to flop on the bed.

Anyways, ciao.