Beneath the ruined chapel in the slums, what was originally meant to be a storage cellar had, at some unknown point, been converted into a living space.
The small basement room had little more than a rickety wooden table, a barely usable sofa, and a bed piled with layers upon layers of thick bedding. Aside from that, there wasn't much furniture to speak of. Still, while it seemed a bit shabby, the compact layout gave the space a cozy atmosphere—it actually felt a bit like home.
"Ta-da! This is it—our Hestia Familia's base!"
Pushing aside the heavy stone statue covering the basement entrance, Hestia hopped lightly down the steps and spread her arms toward the room, beaming like a child proudly showing off a toy. "From now on, you'll be living here with me, Kai-kun! It's a bit small, but as long as we work hard, things will get better!"
As he descended the stairs, Kai-kun looked around at the basement's setup. It was practically identical to what he remembered from the anime, and he couldn't help but be amazed.
"It really is exactly the same…"
"What is?"
"Ah—no, it's nothing… I mean, it's amazing, really!"
Having let that slip, Kai immediately grew alert. Before Hestia could probe further, he hurriedly changed the subject: "The chapel above looked so run-down, I didn't expect the basement to be so… different. Did you set all this up yourself, Goddess?"
"Hmph, of course I did!"
Hands on her hips, Hestia declared proudly, "Even though the furniture's a little old, it's actually pretty comfy to live in."
As she spoke, she plopped down on the bed and patted the soft mattress.
"Kai-kun, come over here."
"Gulp…"
A young girl—a loli goddess with those proportions—sat defenselessly on the bed, flashing a bright and cheerful smile while calling him over. No one else was around. It was nighttime. Just the two of them, a man and a woman…
Even though he knew that kind of thing wasn't going to happen, Kai-kun still couldn't help where his thoughts went for a moment.
This… this was the tragic flaw of all men!
Moments later, Kai lay down in the middle of the bed, and Hestia straddled his lower back. As she lifted up his shirt with some effort, she muttered in complaint, "Kai-kun, don't you find these clothes too tight?"
"Tight? Not really…"
Turning his head slightly to glance at Hestia sitting behind him, Kai spoke casually while feeling the soft warmth pressing against his backside. "Maybe it's just that I've gotten used to wearing them."
When the system transferred him across dimensions, it had reconstructed his body based on his physical state before he was roasted alive in the fire. Not only were his physical state identical, but even the clothes he was wearing were exactly the same—a tailored business suit that fit snugly.
"Even if you're used to it, it's still not okay... Wearing something that tight in the dungeon is a no-go. It's not suited for combat and could get in the way. This is serious business, Kai-kun."
"I get it..."
After struggling for a while, Hestia finally managed to roll up his suit jacket and expose his back.
"Kai-kun, are you ready?" she asked seriously, plucking a thin needle from a small basket beside the bed.
"Go ahead, Goddess. I'm ready!"
Gulping nervously, Takashina Kai felt a mix of tension and anticipation. In Orario, the unique power system was the Falna, granted by the gods. It allowed ordinary people to surpass their natural limits and grow rapidly through combat and dungeon monster kills to accumulate Excelia.
Was he really about to receive that power?
Even though he'd inherited the Black Swordsman's skills, his base stats were still capped at 10 points. After all, the inheritance didn't include bloodline changes—he was still an ordinary human. That was his limit.
Now, with Hestia's Falna, he could break free from human limitations. How could he not be excited?
As he lay there, Hestia pricked her finger. A drop of her blood fell onto Kai's back.
Like a stone sinking into a lake, the drop didn't soak into his skin but instead turned into a gentle glow, rippling outward from the point of contact.
Moments later, glowing white letters began to appear on his back.
Kai couldn't see the change, but he clearly felt a cool stream of energy flowing from his back through his entire body. Compared to the system's reinforcement, this wasn't as sudden or forceful, but it was soothing. Every part the flow passed through felt like it was being reborn.
But before he could enjoy the sensation for long, Hestia suddenly exclaimed in shock.
"This... this is...!"
"What's wrong, Lady Hestia?!"
Her reaction made Kai panic. After all, he was a dimensional trespasser, essentially undocumented in this world. He was genuinely worried Hestia might discover his secret during such close contact.
But fortunately, the system had done a great job masking his identity. Hestia's shock wasn't due to any hidden truth—it was because of what she saw on his back.
"Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility... All your basic stats are at S-rank except for Magic. Kai-kun, are you really just a regular human?"
"I… probably?"
Realizing her surprise came from his stats, Kai breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. He added, "Back in my hometown, I used to do a lot of heavy labor. Maybe that's why I'm stronger than average."
"That's not just 'stronger than average'..."
Hestia clearly didn't buy it. While tracing the glowing characters on his back, she huffed, "Even at just Lv.1, an S-rank stat is already the limit for normal humans. How hard would someone have to work to train themselves to this level?!"
Her tone grew stern, and she began lightly smacking his back as if to scold him.
Kai could only smile bitterly.
All his stats had come from the starter package. How was he supposed to explain that?
No matter how much she pressed, Kai refused to say a word. He just lay there like a dead fish and even closed his eyes to focus on the sensation of warmth and softness on his lower back.
Eventually, realizing he wouldn't spill anything, Hestia gave up. She went back to reading the rest of his Falna.
"Magic… zero… magic slot is empty… skills… huh?"
When she got to the skills section, her eyebrows twitched. Her face turned from puzzled to shocked. Then she gasped again.
"What is it now?!"
Startled, Kai turned his head and asked.
"Skills! You have a skill!"
Staring at the glowing characters in the skill column, Hestia was overwhelmed with excitement. Bringing Kai into her Familia had been the best decision ever.
"Skill: [One-Handed Sword]. Sword mastery born of instinct. Enhances attributes when wielding a sword, sharpens combat intuition, and reduces sword-based damage taken. Kai-kun, were you a swordsman before?"
"I guess you could say that..."
Thick-skinned, Kai nodded in affirmation.
I was a swordsman, my ass… More like a 'sword simp'...
Even he felt a little guilty for lying. He figured he'd better start training with a sword soon—otherwise, if his cover got blown, it'd be way too embarrassing.
After completing the Falna and finishing the assessment, Hestia pushed herself off his back and sat on the bed, hugging her legs, beaming with joy.
The warmth and elasticity that had pressed against his back now vanished, leaving Kai feeling a bit disappointed. Still, he smiled at the cheerful goddess and asked, "You seem really happy, Lady Hestia. Did something good happen?"
"Of course!"
She gave him a big thumbs up.
"With you in the Familia, our lives are definitely going to improve. We might even surpass Loki Familia! After all, you're the only one in all of Orario with four S-ranked attributes and a skill at Lv.1!"
Her gaze turned fiery, like a starving gourmet staring at a feast.
"The strongest in Loki Familia is that Aiz-something girl… Her title is Sword Princess. Since you're a swordsman, Kai-kun, you need to become even stronger than her and take that title for yourself!"
"Sword… Princess?"
Kai felt a little lost. Even if he could overpower Aiz Wallenstein in the future, why would he want that title?
Sword Princess? That's for girls! He'd prefer Sword Saint or Swordmaster…
Hestia, lost in her beautiful dreams, didn't seem to notice his confusion. Hugging her knees, she giggled like a carefree schoolgirl.
"When morning comes, we'll go to Babel and buy you proper combat gear… Oh! And a sword too, since you're a swordsman…"
Lying down on the sofa with his hands behind his head, Takashina Kai listened to her chatter while silently calling up the system interface.
[Name: Takashina Kai
Race: Human
Profession: Adventurer Lv.1 (0/1000) – Hestia Familia
Age: 23
Height: 176 cm
Weight: 64 kg
Spirit: 10 (10)
Strength: 10 (10)
Agility: 10 (10)
Endurance: 10 (10)
Constitution: 10 (10)
Class Inheritance: [Black Swordsman]
Energy: 215.11 / 1000]
With Hestia Familia's blessing and Kirito's inheritance…
So much had already changed in just half a day. And from here on, he'd only grow stronger.
"System, what would happen if one day I inherited every possible class?"
[Host, please don't worry about hypotheticals. The worlds are endless, the realms too numerous to count. The number of class inheritances is infinite. Even if you mastered all that currently exist, there would always be new legendary paths to follow. The way of inheritance has no end.]
"No end… huh?"
Takashina Kai didn't respond further.
He couldn't fathom how vast the multiverse really was. He had no idea where the path of inheritance might lead—or whether it even had a destination. But he did know one thing.
He liked this life.
To live inside his favorite anime, to meet and influence the characters, to alter their destinies and grow stronger with each step—this, to the once-frustrated Takashina Kai, was the perfect life.
"Good night, Orario..."