Chapter Text
The grand labyrinth city built above the dungeon—Orario.
Inside the headquarters of the Hephaestus Familia.
Three very different figures stood in a tight circle, staring at one another in a silent standoff.
One was Hephaestus, a striking goddess dressed in men's clothing. The other was Hestia, a petite goddess with a youthful face and surprisingly voluptuous curves.
Both of them were Goddesses.
Their eyes were locked onto a man dressed in modern clothing, a travel backpack slung casually over his shoulders.
The man's name was August. He was a grown man in his mid-20s.
August wasn't native to this world. More precisely, he came from Earth and possessed a two-way portal that allowed him to travel between dimensions.
Unlike those typical portal tropes where people end up in zombie-infested wastelands or collapsed societies—portals that seemed random but actually targeted hyper-dangerous worlds—his was different.
Instead of dragging him into a crisis, his portal was a randomized gateway with the highest safety protocols.
Logically speaking, if August had handed a portal like this over to the United States government, the whole country would have entered an era of explosive growth.
But the truth was, when August actually tried to cooperate with the authorities, he found reality to be a bit too absurd.
There were already countless delusional people there, filing fake reports and claiming they had teleportation powers. It made August, the actual real deal, feel so awkward that he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.
The officials just treated them all to a free meal and promptly sent them packing.
The sheer secondhand embarrassment left August breaking out in a cold sweat.
Faced with that circus, August decided to use the portal on his own.
His portal's safe, randomized jump had dropped him right here—into this world filled with Gods and dungeons.
Relying on his memories and facing a language barrier, he had used information from his phone to sketch the emblem of the Hephaestus Familia. With a little pointing and gesturing from helpful strangers, he finally managed to find this place.
Thanks to her Divine authority, Hephaestus was miraculously able to understand his language.
Hephaestus had listened as August specifically asked to find Hestia.
Obviously, Hephaestus brought her over.
—•——•——•——•——•——•—
"Were you looking for me?" Hestia studied the young man's outfit. His clothes were clearly foreign to this world, and even more striking was how smooth his skin was compared to that of the average commoner or adventurer.
More importantly, if not for her divine authority translating his words, she wouldn't have understood a single thing he was saying.
"Hello, Goddess," August spoke. "My name is August. I come from another world, and I arrived here using a special dimension-crossing ability."
"Since this is my first time in this world and this city, I'm hoping to join your Familia."
He was honest and direct, getting straight to the point and clearly expressing what he wanted without beating around the bush.
A flicker of surprise flashed in both Hephaestus's and Hestia's eyes.
They knew nothing about this young man's background, but through his straightforward words, they could tell August wasn't lying.
"You said you came from another world using some sort of dimension-crossing ability..."
"Does that mean you can travel to other worlds as well?"
Hephaestus analyzed his words carefully, realizing that August seemed to have initiated the crossing voluntarily, rather than being summoned against his will.
If that were the case, it meant he could still make the jump back—or anywhere else.
"Yes." August paused for a moment, weighing his options.
Gods were very intelligent beings. They had lived countless eons longer than he had and had seen practically everything.
If he tried to hide it, they would easily see right through him. It was better to just be honest and upfront to build some goodwill and trust.
"Oooohhhh!!" Hestia's eyes sparkled brightly at the revelation.
Her mind was racing.
Oh my. To think an otherworldly traveler would seek her out the moment he arrived in this world, just to join her Familia.
Was she really that famous??
An otherworldly child with the power to travel dimensions came looking for her. Honestly, she'd feel bad if she didn't accept him at this point.
"Hold on a second..."
"Why would you look for this freeloader?" Hephaestus was utterly baffled.
He had gone through all the trouble of wandering around, asking the Adventurer's Guild, tracking down her Familia's emblem just to get here—all so he could join Hestia's faction?
With an ability like that, he could easily join her Familia instead.
"Hey, Hephaestus! That's taking it a little too far, don't you think?"
"Why wouldn't he look for me?" Hestia immediately stamped her foot in protest.
They had known each other for ages. Having someone come all the way to her doorstep just to join her was a wonderful thing, wasn't it? Talking about her like that... was Hephaestus looking down on her?
"Hah. Freeloader." Hephaestus shot a disdainful glare at the friend she had known for hundreds of millions of years.
The girl was currently staying at her Familia's headquarters, living there rent-free like a complete freeloader. Honestly, it was about time Hestia kicked her out.
And who would have thought that shortly after, an otherworldly traveler would march right up and choose to join Hestia's Familia?
But the most important part?
This child from another world seemed to have the ability to travel freely between dimensions.
He was essentially a walking treasure trove!
Even the Gods themselves didn't possess the power to traverse into alternate universes, yet this mortal child standing right in front of them did.
If that wasn't a miracle, what was?
'No way. Letting Hestia have him would be a waste.'
'If I take him in, I can shape him into a phenomenal talent.'
With that thought in mind—
"BECOME MY SON!"
"My Familia has access to every kind of weaponry imaginable. You can utilize anything you need, anytime."
"And if that's not enough, I will personally forge an exclusive weapon just for you."
"With my skills as the Goddess of Forging, I can offer you support unlike anyone else."
Hephaestus completely bypassed Hestia, extending the invitation directly to August without a moment's hesitation.
As long as he joined her Familia, she could arrange whatever he needed.
"Hey! Hephaestus, you're crossing the line!"
Hestia couldn't believe it. Right after this otherworldly child clearly stated his intentions, her friend was actually trying to poach him right out from under her nose.
That was way too far!
She didn't even have a single child in her Familia yet!
But despite her protests, Hestia understood the reality of the situation all too well. When it came to supporting this traveler, the Hephaestus Familia was undoubtedly one of the greatest assets in the world.
A massive faction dedicated to forging weapons—if August set up camp here, he would have an endless armory at his disposal at all times.
The realization of her own helplessness hit her hard. Hestia blinked and looked up at August, her eyes filled with hesitant uncertainty and barely restrained nerves.
If she were being entirely honest, Hestia thought he really might be better off with Hephaestus instead of her.
Hephaestus also fixed her intense gaze on August.
Given the vast resources of her Familia, there were countless ways she could support him.
He was a grown man from another world. If he valued his own interests and survival above all else, then choosing her should have been the obvious decision.