A stone mansion of decent size, reasonably decorated, and with a fair amount of presence. This is the home of the Hermes Familia, the guild I belong to.
Overall, it's a decent building, but its construction is solid, sturdy enough to be like a small fortress. It might not look like much at first glance, but inside, it's something else entirely. Kind of like the god who rules this mansion, powerful and unpredictable. With that thought, I step inside.
"Oh, you're back. That was quick."
"Thanks, Meryl."
Inside, I bumped into Meryl, a female dwarf from the Palum tribe. She's one of my seniors in the Familia and one of the top-tier adventurers here, especially when it comes to magic power.
"Where's Hermes-sama?"
"He's in the back room."
"Thanks."
I thanked her and headed straight to the back room.
When I reached the door, I knocked.
"Hermes-sama, it's Toki."
"Hm? Ah, come in."
I opened the wooden door and stepped inside. There, I found the very god himself.
If I had to describe this room in one word, it'd be"map room." Hermes was surrounded by various maps, sitting alone playing chess. He paused, then turned to me.
"You're early. Did something happen?"
"I got chased around by a Minotaur on the fifth floor."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
"...A Minotaur? You mean that Minotaur?"
"Yes, the bull-headed humanoid monster that usually appears in the 'middle layers.'"
I told him the brief version of what happened, expecting his reaction. True to form, Hermes burst out laughing.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Minotaur, huh? Ha ha ha ha!"
"Okay, laughing's fine, but I was almost killed!"
Suddenly embarrassed, I shot back at the god. After laughing for a while, with tears in his eyes, Hermes stood up.
"I see. So that's why you came back so quickly. Let's update your [Status] then."
"Please. I ran all over today, so I'm confident my agility has improved."
I took off my jacket and lay down on the sofa in the room. Hermes took a needle from his pocket, pricked his own finger, then traced his finger down my back, leaving a glowing mark.
Every adventurer belongs to a Familia and receives a [Status], a"divine blessing" granted by their Familia's god. This is the only power gods can wield on Earth: a miraculous force that records one's history and draws out abilities that match their experience.
By the way, the first time I got my Status marked, I was struck by the fact that gods' blood is red just like ours. I always imagined Hermes with yellow or green blood, so that was surprisingly down-to-earth.
While Hermes updated my Status, I detailed what had happened today. Stories like these are a god's favorite. I like talking about it too. To me, Hermes is my benefactor, my mentor, my father figure, even though I'd never say that out loud. Never.
"All done. Hmm, your agility really is impressive."
He put on his jacket and showed me a paper with my updated Status written on it, not in common Koine language, but in the Sacred Hieroglyphs used by gods. Hermes believes in practicing these sacred texts since you never know when human knowledge might come in handy.
Apparently, no one else does this, so I'm the only one in this Familia getting this kind of treatment. Strange.
Anyway, after deciphering the Sacred Hieroglyphs, here's my new Status:
Toki Ortyx
Lv.1
Strength: H103 → H105
Endurance: I15 → I16
Dexterity: H126 → H130
Agility: H130 → H154
Magic Power: G214 → G225
[Magic]
Infinite Abyss
Skill magic.
Nullifies"God's Power."
Chant:"This body is filled with the abyss; those who touch it are stained pitch black; reflections fall into twilight; eternal city, new moon; I am the wandering slayer; manifest the power of judgment."
[Skill]
Endless Abyss
Skill magic.
Nullifies"God's Power."
A solid, well-earned update. Magic power grew quite a bit though.
"You're really never boring to watch." Hermes said with a smile. I know why.
These two fill my Magic and Skill slots.
Infinite Abyss and Endless Abyss are actually the same skill. But Infinite Abyss increases power and mass by about ten times when chanted. It's a magic skill I have had since before I could even remember.
Its defining feature? Nullifying"God's Power", meaning it ignores the opponent's Status when attacking. That's why I could kill adventurers back when I was an assassin.
Note: It's nullification, not neutralization. Neutralization would prevent me from even having my Status marked.
Because of this Status, I can never show my full strength in front of Bell. If I do, he might get suspicious, and this rare skill might be exposed. Though honestly, I doubt he'd do that.
"Well then, Hermes-sama, I'll be going."
"Yeah. I look forward to your growth."
I bowed and started to leave the room.
"Oh, wait, Toki."
Hermes called after me as I reached for the door.
"Yes?"
"What's the name of the girl you're at the party with again?"
Hermes is always overprotective of me, subtly concerned for my safety. Whether that's out of parental care or because he sees some value in me, I don't know.
"He's Bell Cranel, a human from the Hestia Familia."
"Bell Cranel...?"
His mood suddenly shifted.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Yes."
After I answered, he seemed to think deeply. Does he know Bell?
"Toki." he said,"Don't ever let her go."
It was an unusually serious order from the god himself. I grinned and replied,
"Not a chance."
Hermes smiled back.
"That's good to hear. Oh, and while you're at it, find Asfi for me."
"Going somewhere? Didn't you say you'd attend the next 'Gods' Meeting, Denatus'?"
"I'll be back soon this time."
With that, Hermes started preparing something. His sudden whims always throw us for a loop. And our Familia leader, Asfi Al Andromeda, always ends up tagging along.
Feeling a bit sorry for her, I left the room.
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Note: "Infinite Abyss" was inspired by the Powers of Pride, a homunculus from Fullmetal Alchemist, not that mine's anywhere near that OP. Otherwise, I'd just be unstoppable. By the way, it does have weaknesses. But that's a story for another time. .