This was the explanation he and the orange cat had agreed on in advance—something that could plausibly account for his sudden power.
"This is… life energy?"
"Quick—stop it!"
The red-haired girl cried out. Xien, who hadn't expected the reaction to be this intense, hurriedly pulled the energy back in.
With their "fuel source" gone, the wooden furniture around them stopped growing.
So this is life energy…?
Xien was shaken too. For the first time, he truly understood what "vitality" looked like when it became something tangible.
"Come on. We're going to see the Goddess. I have a guess about your situation, but this needs to be confirmed by her personally."
She suppressed her shock and excitement, speaking in a voice that was extremely gentle.
"Okay."
So the members of the Astraea Familia witnessed a scene they could hardly process:
Their captain, normally all smiles and greetings, was hurrying through the residence while holding the hand of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy—so anxious she didn't even stop to greet anyone they passed.
A short while later, in Astraea's room.
The goddess held a freshly made falna rubbing—then fell into silence.
Xien
Lv. 1
[Strength]: I0 [Endurance]: I0 [Dexterity]: I0 [Agility]: I0 [Magic]: I0
Development Abilities: None
Magic:Breath of Abundance
Skills:Blazing Heartfire (Hidden), Body of Tenacity, Pharmacological Comprehension
"So… you took a nap… and then gained two skills and one magic…?"
"It seems so, Lady Astraea."
He wasn't lying. He really did "sleep and suddenly have them"—he was just leaving out one small detail called the system.
Even with a god's authority sealed, a deity of judgment could still read truth from a mortal's words. Xien's statement didn't feel wrong.
Astraea nodded slowly.
"Then it's as I thought. A rare awakening. Your body was on the verge of death—stimulated by the panacea and divine blood, your latent potential was triggered. It's a stroke of luck more precious than a grimoire… you've truly hit the lottery."
Things like this did happen, rarely—when mortals under special circumstances awakened extraordinary abilities. Apparently, Xien was another such case.
And it only strengthened her resolve to bring him into her familia.
"Moreover… it's an exceptionally rare life-aspected healing…"
That was serious.
Healing rooted in pure "life" itself—directly transferring vitality—this kind of magic skirted the border of miracles.
For the first time, the Goddess of Justice looked genuinely grave.
"Child, I'll ask you once more. Do you truly choose to join our familia?"
Her expression softened as she asked directly—and his answer didn't disappoint her.
"Yes, Lady Astraea. I want to join this warm family."
"Good. Then, Alise—you know what to do."
"Of course, Lady Astraea. I'll prepare tonight's celebration."
"Good."
That evening, the welcoming banquet was held as promised.
As the guest of honor, Xien was introduced by Alise, and everyone learned that their familia had finally gained a male member.
They were delighted—genuinely.
It wasn't that they required female members; it was simply that every suitable recruit they'd found so far happened to be female.
In fact, people had suggested before that the familia ought to recruit men too—except in this era of Orario, it was nearly impossible to find men who met the goddess's standards. Those almost harsh requirements made the idea die before it could even take shape.
And yet today—an iron tree had bloomed.
How could they not be happy?
The Astraea Familia had eleven members, all female. Their numbers were small, but every single one was a Second-Class Adventurer: nine Level 3s, and two Level 2s.
The reason they were so few was simple: their goddess's recruitment standards were nearly unforgiving.
Talent was secondary.
The true requirement—the only non-negotiable—was a heart of justice.
Not "a useful skill," but the insistence on doing what was right.
And in a city overflowing with adventurers, that was something only a tiny minority truly possessed.
So everyone was sincerely thrilled to have a "little brother"—and when they learned he possessed rare healing abilities, their gazes toward Xien practically turned sticky with affection.
Only Ryuu looked a bit restrained. She still couldn't forget her loss of composure from the morning.
Xien noticed, but assumed it was just the elf's naturally reserved expression hiding her emotions. He didn't press it—figuring they could talk properly later.
There was no discomfort in the attention, because the smiles were real. And that warmth made him feel something like family.
That night, Alise assigned Xien a room within the familia residence.
Since they'd never had male members before, there were places he couldn't comfortably go. After thinking it through, they decided the room he'd rested in that morning would become his permanent room.
It had originally been used as a storage room for miscellaneous items, positioned between the other members' rooms—convenient for everyone to access.
Xien accepted readily.
After all… that room was where his "dream" had begun.
To him, it felt right.
And seeing him be so understanding only made Alise like him more.
It had to be said: perhaps because of Yaoshi's "baptism of life," Xien now had enviably healthy skin, a well-proportioned body, neat black hair, and bright brown eyes—paired with a natural smile.
The quiet charm he radiated made Alise find him increasingly adorable the longer she looked.
"Alright. Since the room is settled, go rest. Tomorrow I'll take you to the Adventurers' Guild for registration—and we'll get you some supplies as well."
After making a round back to the room, Alise handed him the key as she spoke.
"Understood, Captain."
Xien took the key and gave the gentle captain a sweet smile.
"Mm. Good night."
Unable to resist, Alise stepped forward and hugged him—only for a single second—then released him immediately, turning away as if she didn't want him to see her expression, and walked off.
"…Good night."
Xien stood there blankly for a moment, answering on instinct.
At the same time, his mind was already wondering: Is this some special Orario greeting? I don't remember seeing it in the anime…
He entered the room still confused.
Not far away, Alise's face was burning red. She felt a mix of regret and relief about what she'd just done.
This was nothing like her usual bright confidence.
Lying in bed, Xien didn't call the orange cat.
He simply stared at the ceiling in silence, and in that stillness, the feeling of reality slowly settled into him.
The Next Day
Before sunrise, someone knocked on his door.
Xien had already woken early—too excited about today's plans to sleep in. Otherwise, he would've been scrambling.
He put on the outfit they'd prepared for him:
A short top, a fitted outer jacket, silk trousers like athletic pants, and durable specially made shoes.
It was standard adventurer daily wear—casual, but ready to fight at any moment.
He opened the door and followed the captain to the hall's long table—used both for meetings and meals.
By his reckoning it was around six in the morning.
Several members were already eating breakfast.
Even as a small familia, Astraea's group had their own rules—small but complete. To coordinate everyone's actions, they needed structure.
For example: breakfast duty.
Every member took turns waking early to cook for everyone—except for a handful whose cooking skills were so catastrophically hopeless that allowing them into the kitchen was basically a potential party wipe.
They made up for it in other ways.
Today's breakfast was handled by the Prum, Laira.
Because of her past, she'd learned how to care for others early in life, and her food was reasonably good.
Even with Xien's picky palate, at least the bread and milk tasted like what they were supposed to taste like.
Still, whether it was today's breakfast or last night's banquet, he noticed something:
The familia's meals weren't exactly luxurious.
Compared to what he ate before transmigrating, it was "just enough to fill your stomach."
I should find a chance to improve the menu… if only for my own stomach.
He mentally told the orange cat to add it to the memo list.
After breakfast, Xien and the captain greeted the others and prepared to leave. Everyone responded warmly. Once they finished eating, they had their own tasks—some went adventuring, some trained, some worked on special skills.
Here, nobody was idle.
Leaving the residence, Xien finally turned back and saw the full view of their home for the first time.
It wasn't huge, but it was decorated with care—European-style architecture, almost like a villa.
Above the main gate was a large emblem: a set of scales and a sword—clearly the symbol of the Goddess of Justice.
"That's your first time seeing the whole place, isn't it?" Alise noticed.
She tapped her forehead lightly. "I can't believe I forgot something like that."
"Yes. When I arrived, I wasn't even awake." Xien teased a little—after all, he'd been carried here without knowing anything.
"Then we'll add one more item—I'll show you around Orario too."
Xien immediately raised both hands in agreement.
Truthfully, he wanted to explore the city badly. He just hadn't brought it up because Orario was probably unstable right now.
But if the captain herself said it was fine, then he certainly wasn't going to refuse.
On the road, they talked about Orario's current situation.
What shocked Xien was this:
According to Alise, the Zeus Familia and Hera Familia were still around.
They'd been heavily weakened after failing to slay the One-Eyed Black Dragon, but they still hadn't been driven out by Loki and Freya working together.
That meant the timeline was seven years before the main story—before the gods' "send-back" incident, before the dark period known as the "Seven Days of Death," before the Great Feud.
But judging by how rampant the Evilus factions were, those events probably weren't far off.
And as for the Astraea Familia's future annihilation… the "start" of that tragedy was still at least a couple of years away.
That should be enough time to grow.
Xien's gaze hardened.
If he had time—and he had a way—
Then all that was left was to crank up the intensity.
And unfortunately (or fortunately), that was something the modern young man was good at:
Maybe they lacked everything else.
But they did not lack grind.
As they spoke, they arrived at the Adventurers' Guild.
It looked just like in his anime memory: a large, church-like building in Gothic style.
The entrance wasn't a traditional door—more like the spring-loaded push gates of a modern supermarket, requiring you to push through manually.
Inside, the hall was spacious. There was a front counter, and small private consultation rooms—practical design born from experience.
Xien scanned the area but didn't see any familiar face.
Then again, that half-elf should still be a little girl right now. It would be weird if she did show up here.
The moment the two entered, the noise in the hall dropped noticeably.
Not to total silence—but enough to make Xien understand Astraea Familia's standing in Orario.
Most gazes were friendly.
That alone meant their actions had earned recognition.
Before the Ganesha Familia took up the role, Astraea Familia had served as Orario's maintainers of order—using fairness and justice to uphold the city's most basic stability.
To most adventurers, this red-haired captain was worthy of genuine respect.
After all, nobody wanted to come home exhausted and find their household destroyed and their family dead.
And Astraea's girls often took the initiative to strike at Evilus—something more dangerous than dungeon delving, with almost no reward.
Dungeon conquest brought experience, magic stones, and materials—and monsters were usually documented, reducing uncertainty.
But provoking Evilus?
No profit, plus ambushes, poison tricks, unseen knives, and retaliation.
A massive familia like Zeus could endure that kind of backlash.
But Astraea had no First-Class Adventurer—and they still pushed this far.
Right now, the two pillar familias were still present, keeping Evilus from becoming completely uncontrollable.
Otherwise… disaster would be inevitable.
And the extermination that would happen in a few years was proof enough.
But that didn't mean Astraea's path was wrong.
After meeting them—after experiencing Evilus' filth firsthand—Xien choosing to join was his answer.
Someday—
He would erase those bastards from this city.
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