Chương 4: The First Falna

"I am very happy to hear you say that, Cael, but..." Hestia sat on the small wooden bed piled with folded quilts and patted the space beside her.

"Come here." Cael drew in a deep breath. He knew what was about to happen. Even so, this was his first time sharing a small bed with a goddess. He knew it was not the kind of situation his mind had briefly imagined, but his heart still refused to calm down. He removed the flashy light armor and tossed it into a corner, then lay face down on the soft mattress. A heartbeat later, a light weight and warmth settled against his back. The mattress carried a faint, clean scent, and he swallowed despite himself.

Was this a dream? Ever since he arrived in Orario, everything had felt unreal. Yet it was all so intensely vivid.

"Cael," Hestia asked softly, "do you already know about Falna?" A thin needle appeared in one hand. With the other hand, she lifted the back of his casual shirt.

"I have learned the basics," Cael answered.

"The gods' Falna is the key that opens a mortal's potential," he continued quietly.

"Over the last thousand years, the gods systematized the strength of mortals who received Falna into measurable parameters."

"It is divided into Basic Abilities, Development Abilities, Magic, Skills, and Level. Basic Ability values run from I 0 to S 999. Once one Basic Ability reaches 500 and the adventurer has achieved a great enough feat, their vessel can be reforged and they can level up. The strongest person in Orario right now is Level 7. Is that correct?" All of that came from the light novel setting, of course. A real world was bound to have differences.

"That is correct," Hestia said with a nod.

"But it is only the result of us gods organizing things in our own way. Human potential and possibility are things even gods cannot fully grasp. That is why we are so fascinated by you." She pricked the tip of her finger with the needle. A bead of divine blood welled up, and her voice grew serious.

"Most importantly, a mortal who receives Falna becomes family to their patron god. That is a contract none of us can violate. Real family."

"I understand, Lady Hestia." A drop of crimson divine blood slid from Hestia's fingertip and fell onto Cael's back. It was like a stone landing in a still lake. Ripples of blue light spread outward, and lines of sacred text surfaced within them. Click. Somewhere deep in Cael's soul, a lock that had been sealed tight finally opened. An indescribable sensation flooded his whole body. It was not only muscle or bone. Something deeper, something closer to his very foundation, had been released.

For a moment, it felt as if his body had been remade.

"This is..." Hearing Hestia gasp behind him, Cael's lips curved slightly. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. His special ability had finally been fully released. Lady Hestia had to be shocked. Any god who saw his starting attributes would probably stare until their jaw dropped.

"Skills! So many Skills from the very first Falna!" Hestia's eyes went wide as she stared at the systematized information on her first child.

"Cael, are you really an ordinary human?" Her jaw dropped, and she slapped both hands lightly against his back in disbelief.

"Of course I am, Lady Hestia," Cael replied with a smile.

"Before I met you, I was a perfectly ordinary person. If you are this shocked, I suppose my potential is not bad."

"Not bad? This is much more than 'not bad.'" Hestia's eyes remained wide.

"Your Basic Abilities are still at an ordinary person's level, but your Magic is already in the double digits. And your Skills are... fou..." She stopped. After seeing one particular Skill, her gaze froze for an instant. Then she quickly corrected herself.

"Three. Three Skills, all of them rare. You even have Magic."

"I will translate the hieroglyphs into the common tongue for you. Then you will understand." Hestia looked at Cael as if she had stumbled across a priceless treasure.

"Hehe. I never expected my Cael to be the kind of hero candidate who appears once in a million people. No, maybe once in a hundred million."

"Done." The weight and warmth on his back disappeared. Cael let out a slow breath he had not realized he was holding, then turned his head. Hestia sat on the edge of the bed like a little girl who had just received a precious present, swinging her bare feet while smiling without pause. She handed him a sheet of paper.

"Amazing. My first child is actually this amazing. Even I, a goddess, was shocked."

"Of course," Cael said, giving her a thumbs-up as he accepted the paper.

"I am Lady Hestia's Familia member. Naturally, I will become the strongest in Orario." The corner of his mouth lifted as he looked down at the information. [Status] Name: Cael Veyren Level: Lv. 1 Strength: I 6 Endurance: I 3 Dexterity: I 8 Agility: I 6 Magic: I 63 Development Abilities: None Magic: Unlimited Blade Works - Reality Marble - Bounded Field Magic - Reinforcement - Projection - Weapon Replication Skills: Bravery; Indomitable; Clear Sword Mind;???

(Hidden) Bravery - Nullifies mental interference such as intimidation, confusion, and charm. - Doubles Basic Abilities when acting alone. - Greatly enhances combat intuition. Indomitable - Increases active attack damage according to injury severity during battle. - Temporarily grants the Development Ability Omen while injured. - Temporarily grants the Development Ability Danger Avoidance while heavily injured. - Temporarily grants the Development Ability Perseverance while near death.

Clear Sword Mind - Greatly enhances the sharpness attribute of any sword-shaped weapon while wielding a sword. - Greatly enhances comprehension of sword techniques. - Slightly enhances comprehension of sword-type finishing moves. Hidden Skill:??? -???

"Huh." Cael was not especially surprised by his starting information. He already knew the source. His special ability was the Infinite Skill Tree. When he closed his eyes, he could see it rooted in his soul like a crystal sapling of the World Tree. Seven translucent leaves had grown from it, and three of them were already shining. As its name suggested, the Infinite Skill Tree was a special ability that could grant him limitless Skills. It would grow as he grew, and every stage of growth would produce a new leaf.

Each leaf allowed him to define an ability he wanted. There was one rule. He had to possess the possibility of obtaining that ability himself. If that possibility did not exist within him, the ability could not manifest. Of the seven leaves, the first was named World Gate Key. It held the power to open the World Gate, born from the fact that he had successfully crossed worlds and therefore possessed the possibility of world travel.

The second and third leaves were Bravery and Indomitable, two Skills from the Heroic Spirit Heracles of the Type-Moon world. The fourth leaf, Clear Sword Mind, came from the Heroic Spirit Okita Souji. The fifth leaf was Unlimited Blade Works, the great magecraft and Reality Marble of Emiya. The sixth leaf was Sword Saint's Blessing, from Reinhard van Astrea, the strongest in Re: Zero. The seventh leaf was Transparent World, the talent of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the strongest demon-slaying swordsman.

The first ability Cael had manifested was Clear Sword Mind. Once it manifested, anything related to swords became a possibility for him. The second was Bravery. From there, he gained the possibility of reaching other abilities connected to that field.