The Only Place to Go

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Choosing a Familia was a headache.

If Bell chose the Loki Familia, his early growth would certainly be fast. He would also gain access to abundant resources. The problem was that he would have to expose Spatial Storage, his unique Skill.

If he chose the Hestia Familia instead, then expecting help in the early stages would be unrealistic. Everything he needed would have to be created by his own hands. The advantage was that he would gain a cute, loving goddess and could keep his special Skill hidden.

The images of Loki and Hestia surfaced in Bell's mind.

Loki, the so-called evil god. Not the male god from the mythology of another world, but a flat-chested, red-haired goddess with narrow eyes. She loved the members of her Familia dearly, though she had a particular fondness for women and questionable thoughts about her female followers. Usually, she seemed careless and rough around the edges, but when it mattered, she was reliable.

Hestia, goddess of the hearth. In the world Bell remembered, she had been one of the Twelve Olympians and the eldest sister of Demeter, Hera, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. In Greek mythology, she was practically the elder sister of the gods. Her position here was extraordinary as well. She governed the authority of the eternal sacred flame, and her rank among the gods was absurdly high. Her figure was just as striking: only about 140 centimeters tall, roughly four foot seven, undeniably petite, yet with curves that made it hard to look away.

"All right. I have decided. I am joining the Hestia Familia."

After thinking it over and over again, Bell still decided to choose the Hestia Familia, just like in the original story.

After all, who could refuse Hestia's appeal?

If a goddess like that was right there waiting, what else did he need?

Bell was going all in.

It was like Tiamat in FGO. Who could hear her call someone "my child" and not immediately want to become devoted to her? Who would not want to bury their head in that overflowing sense of motherhood?

That impulse was not exactly wrong, either. Tiamat was the mother of all things. That did not stop her devoted fans from wanting to give her a better future and let her experience a life different from that of a god.

In short, Bell did not have any evil intentions.

He would simply devote himself to his own goddess first.

Encounters with other girls could wait. Hestia was undoubtedly the best encounter.

Since he had made his decision, there was no reason to keep agonizing over which Familia to choose.

However, there was still another problem.

Freya, the goddess of beauty.

Freya could see the essence of a person's soul. People could use words and masks to hide what kind of qualities they possessed, but the soul itself did not lie.

Bell was worried she might see something in him.

Then he thought about it again.

His mind was not as pure as the fourteen-year-old Bell who had started out in the original story. He was not that innocent. He had no reason to worry too much about Freya noticing anything special.

He was not a person whose soul shone brightly. If Freya looked at him, she would probably see an ordinary person.

And the goddess of beauty had no interest in ordinary people.

"First, I need to enter the city and gather information."

Bell sorted out his belongings, put on a wind cloak, and stepped onto the road while pretending to be an ordinary passerby.

As it turned out, ordinary people really did run into less trouble.

As long as he looked ordinary and did not carry too many things, he would not be treated as a target.

Bell was extraordinarily careful during the final ten kilometers.

Pretending to be an ordinary person was easy. Pretending to be a poor, destitute ordinary person...

Well, he really was one.

Aside from his cloak, he did not even have a backpack. If that was not the picture of poverty, what was?

Ahead, Bell saw many carriages turning from a side road onto the central road.

Curious, he glanced toward the smaller road. More carriages were still coming from that direction, hauling cargo toward the main road. He did not know what they were carrying, but the wheels sank deep into the mud. There had to be quite a lot loaded onto them.

'Looks like Orario still imports a lot of things from outside.'

Bell was honestly tempted by commerce. Compared to adventuring, business clearly came with less danger.

'If I were smart enough, maybe I could make a name for myself on this road.'

In the next moment, Bell gave up on the idea.

For one thing, if he became a merchant, his five-star Craft Essence would not be able to show its full value. For another, doing business required enough brains to handle complicated matters. Bell did not think his straightforward mind was suited for something that complex.

After a brief moment of temptation, he quickly accepted reality.

He lowered his hood to hide his real appearance. He did not want trouble, and he did not want to be treated as a threat before he had grown.

Bell walked carefully along one side of the road, keeping out of the path of the carriages in the center. As he passed, he heard the people with them talking.

"This delivery was rough too. We actually ran into an earth dragon on the road. Talk about bad luck."

"No kidding. If the team we hired had not been strong enough, all our cargo would have been torn apart under that thing's claws."

An earth dragon?

Bell's brows drew together. He knew very well that anything connected to the word "dragon" would not be a simple monster.

He quietly sharpened his hearing.

"At least it was not a flying dragon. If one of those had shown up, the whole group would have been finished."

"You are overthinking it. Running into an earth dragon outside was already a freak accident. What are the odds we would run straight into a flying dragon? Besides, think about how rare flying dragons are."

"True. Flying dragons are not as common as earth dragons. Earth dragons reproduce quickly. Flying dragons do not have that kind of reproduction rate."

'Earth dragons and flying dragons. No matter where you go, this world is full of danger.'

'Without strength, you cannot go anywhere. If your luck turns bad and you run into a monster outside, you can die before you even get the chance to grow.'

Bell silently sighed and shifted his attention to the mercenary group ahead.

They had taken off most of their gear and wore only light outer clothes. Some had bandages wrapped around their heads, hands, or legs. Clearly, they had been through a brutal fight.

Bell did not know how strong those mercenaries were, but any earth dragon capable of injuring so many people could not have been easy to deal with.

'Dragon species really are legendary creatures no matter the world. If a creature like that could be killed easily, that would be stranger.'

'Compared to the unstable outside world, the Dungeon really is the most suitable place for me.'

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