Another grueling day of work finally came to an end.
Kai received his daily wages from the Loki Familia supervisor—miserly, as always.
The Loki Familia knew full well that the laborers were only here to audition for a spot in their ranks, so they felt no guilt in underpaying them.
Just as Kai was pocketing his meager coins and debating which ruined alleyway he should sleep in tonight, a sudden wave of cheers and congratulations erupted behind him.
“Boss!
That’s amazing!!
You actually got accepted!” “Hahaha!” It was the famous mercenary.
He actually managed to catch the Loki Familia’s eye?
It was certainly worth celebrating, but it had absolutely nothing to do with Kai.
He had long since abandoned any hope of joining their ranks.
Rather than chasing pipe dreams, he needed to figure out his next move.
The pay here was abysmal.
Maybe he really should just go back to the countryside?
His family had a couple acres of meager farmland left.
If he worked hard, he wouldn’t have to worry about starving.
“Farming honestly doesn’t sound too bad right now.” “Oh?
Are you planning to leave Orario?” “Yeah… this city doesn’t have room for a clueless, ordinary guy like me.
Rather than staying here and envying the adventurers, I’m better off going home to farm.
Hm—” Kai turned to look at the person who had seamlessly fallen into step beside him.
Red hair, permanently squinted eyes, and a sly, fox-like smile.
Most importantly, she was incredibly flat-chested.
It all matched a very specific piece of information he had memorized.
Loki?
To think he would actually meet a god right as he decided to leave the city.
Image: Loki “Lady Loki.
Pardon my intrusion.” “Ahaha, no worries, no worries!
Say, are you a noble, kid?
Or from some fallen nobility, maybe?” “No… I’m just an ordinary person.
I don’t have any prestigious background.” “Is that so?
Well, I hope things go well for you after you leave Orario.” “Thank you for the blessing, Goddess.” Kai walked away, his heart inevitably heavy with disappointment.
It seemed he truly lacked the fate of a protagonist.
Even standing face-to-face with Loki hadn’t miraculously changed his destiny.
He walked away from the Loki Familia compound without looking back.
But the exact moment he stepped through the front gates, Loki’s heart gave a violent, inexplicable lurch, as if she had just lost something incredibly precious.
As a god, Loki knew her intuition was never wrong.
“Riveria!!
Don’t pour out my booze!!” ….
Tch.
My little hero hit a wall.
You aren’t scamming me, are you?
Himeko glared at the [Encounter with a Goddess] premium bundle she had just purchased using an entire month’s worth of drinking money.
She angrily poked at Loki’s face on her phone screen, wishing she could poke her eyes out.
Unfortunately, the screen didn’t care.
He’s such an adorable, hardworking kid, and she didn’t even try to recruit him.
That goddess must be completely blind.
[The Loki Familia is one of the strongest factions in Orario.
Their core combatants are the absolute elites of various races and high nobility.
Their captain is a Prum hero, and their vice-captain is Elven royalty.
They cultivate their core members from childhood.
Take that mercenary who just got recruited—he’ll likely be stuck doing chores and grunt work for the rest of his life.] Bloodline elitism?
How ignorant and backwards.
And that mercenary looked decently strong, at least the equivalent of a C-rank Valkyrie.
Loki still looks down on him?
[With his strength, that mercenary will never become a core member.
Loki might not even grant him her Falna; he’s essentially just a contractor.
And bloodline elitism isn’t ‘ignorant and backwards’ in that world—it’s an ironclad passport.
The bloodline of a hero guarantees heroic potential.
Elven royalty possesses an overwhelming innate advantage in magic.
The exceptions are far too rare.
The Loki Familia has a steady stream of elite, high-quality recruits; they don’t need to gamble on a random ‘lucky kid.’ Furthermore, Kai’s age is a major factor.
If he were in his early teens, Loki might have taken him in.
Oh, and if he were a girl, she definitely would have taken him.
Loki is a massive pervert.] The way you describe her makes this Loki goddess sound completely unreliable… I hope my little hero finds a decent god.
[Don’t worry!
This System guarantees that every penny you spend is worth it!
I promise Kai will find a goddess perfectly suited for him.] The item the System had sold her read: [Item Description — Encounter with a Goddess: Event Item.
Effect: Helps the hero take the most solid first step on his journey by leading him to a suitable Familia and a Goddess who will love him.] ….
Walking down the bustling streets and watching the heavily armored adventurers pass by, Kai couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
He wasn’t the type to give up easily, but reality was simply too bleak.
First, he was already over twenty years old.
Second, he had no specialized skills like forging or potion-making.
Third, he had no prestigious background or massive wealth to rely on.
Putting himself in their shoes, Kai wouldn’t recruit someone like him either.
Taking in dead weight only caused trouble for a Familia.
Before he knew it, Kai had wandered over to a familiar food stall.
For the past week, his dinners had consisted entirely of three Jagamaru-kun snacks.
They were cheap, filling, and tasted pretty good.
More importantly, according to a very friendly half-elf guild receptionist he knew, there was a high chance of running into the Goddess Hestia and the Sword Princess Aiz at these stalls.
Unfortunately, his luck was abysmal, and he hadn’t spotted either of them all week.
“Boss, three original Jagamaru-kun with chili sauce, please.” “You got it!
Say, you’re looking a bit better today, kid.
You don’t have that heavy, brooding look from the past few days.” “Oh?
You actually remember me, old man?” “You’re one of the only people who can handle Old Kaelen’s Secret Explosive Chili Sauce!
Course I remember you!
So, care to satisfy an old man’s curiosity?” “It’s nothing major, really… I just finally accepted reality.
I’m planning to leave Orario.” “Why?
To be honest, in all my years in this city, I’ve only ever seen people fighting tooth and nail to get in.
I’ve never seen anyone willingly pack up and leave.” Orario was the absolute center of the world.
Take the magic stone lamps that illuminated the streets, for instance.
They required magic stones harvested from the Dungeon to function.
In Earth terms, it was an absolute monopoly, and Orario held countless monopolies just like it.
Because of the Dungeon and the Gods, Orario was a city entirely in a league of its own.
“Because no Familia will take me.” “You don’t have a Familia?!” The stall owner looked genuinely shocked.
There were plenty of normal citizens in Orario, but it was incredibly rare to see a young man as outrageously handsome as Kai running around without a blessing.
Usually, someone with his looks would be forcefully snatched up by the Apollo Familia within days, or straight-up sold to the Ishtar Familia.
The fact that Kai was still roaming free was a testament to his bizarrely good luck.
“I honestly don’t know if you’ve got terrible luck or incredible luck, kid… But since you don’t have a Familia, I can actually recommend one to you.” Old Kaelen remembered a goddess who had been sent over by his own patron deity to do part-time work earlier today.
She was apparently good friends with his goddess, and she was currently desperately searching for members to start her own Familia.
Whether she actually accepted Kai would be up to fate.
“Kid, I’m actually a retired member of the Hephaestus Familia.” “Huh?!
You have that kind of backing, old man?
Why aren’t you working in a smithy instead of selling Jagamaru-kun on the street?!” “I passed my smithy down to my kids.
I’m just enjoying a peaceful retirement.
Anyway—” “Wait, are you trying to introduce me to the Hephaestus Familia?” “No.
I’m talking about a fellow deity who’s friends with our Goddess…”