Where our Familia begins

"W-What?" She fell from the couch and stared at Alec in bewilderment.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked taken aback by the Goddess's behavior.

"Your status," Hestia quickly stood up.

"Turn back," Hestia asked, and Alec complied while wondering what got her panties in a twist.

Alec felt her Goddess continue to work on his back for a little longer, before reaching out for a sheet of paper and laying it on his back. He felt her finger lightly pressing down against the length of his upper back, after which she passed the paper to him.

Alec moved to a seated position and put on his white t-shirt before starting to read.

Alexander Von Nazarick

Level One

Strength: I – 0

Endurance: I – 0

Dexterity: I – 0

Agility: I – 0

Magic: I – 0

Magic: Yggdrasil Magic [EX]: It allows the user to use Magic from Yggdrasil.

Development Abilities: Luck [S], Mystery [H], Weapon Master [A].

Skills: ().

Alex was thankful that his divine ability didn't show up in his normal status update nor there was any mention of his system. In his opinion, some things are meant to be kept a secret. Like that time the captain of the football team bent over for him. It was truly an experience and an eye-opener for his fellow captain, and something they developed into a habit.

No one can know about his system, and he hoped that Hestia wouldn't be too persistent.

"Well, what can I say? I'm awesome," Alec said lightly trying not to look guilty.

Hestia's big blue eyes set on him, and she looked unconvinced.

"Is that so?" She asked in a doubtful tone.

Alec took a brief moment to weigh his option and come to the conclusion that he shouldn't lie to Hestia. He didn't want to start their relationship with a lie.

"Listen, I don't want to lie to you, but I don't feel comfortable telling you about it either. So, can we just say that I'm very gifted and leave it at that? I promise you that is nothing nefarious nor dangerous," Alec decided to compromise. He wouldn't lie to her, but he wouldn't come clean either. It was the best he could do, and if Hestia wouldn't accept it, there were plenty of Familias that would take him in.

Hestia gave him a piercing glare like she was trying to discern the truthfulness of his words. After a few minutes where neither of them moved or said a thing, Hestia relented.

"Fine," She said with finality.

"Fine?" Alec repeated bewildered.

"Yes, fine. Now I understand better what you said before about lies, and you're right. You're entitled to your secret as long as it doesn't hurt people. I only hoped that in time you'll trust me enough to be comfortable and speak about it, but until then we're fine," Hestia explained her thoughts, and Alex was surprised to see that she was much more reasonable than showed in the anime.

"Cool," Alec smiled at her.

"What now?" Alec inquired curiously.

"Now we should go and register you at the Guild, so you're clear to enter the Dungeon," Hestia informed him.

"Very well, but before I need to use the restroom," Alec told her.

In reality, he didn't need to go, he was merely curious about his appearance. He really hoped that the Goddess didn't change him too much.

Hestia showed him where the bathroom was, and Alec felt his heart starting to beat faster. Once he closed the door behind him, we approached the mirror over the sink with trepidation. He even went as far as to keep his gaze downwards.

Once he raised his eyes, he was speechless to meet his reflection in the mirror.

'I'm going to kill that bitch' He vowed to himself.

While he was still 190 cm tall (6ft 3') gone were his jet-black short hair and vivid green eyes. In their place, he had long white hair tied together forming a braid that reach as far as the middle of his back. What caught his attention the most were his eyes. They were of a brilliant purple, and as they reflected the artificial light, they seemed to sparkle with otherworldly power.

Alec instantly loved his new eyes, they were of a unique color, but he was a bit put off by the white hair, but it wasn't a great problem. At worst he was sure that there was a way to dye them, but If he had to be honest, he looked quite dashing as they went along with his caramel skin.

Thankfully the Goddess didn't bulk him too much. When he was alive on earth, he was the captain of the swimming team, and he had a nice swimmer build. As he continued to check himself over he noticed that he had more muscles and his six-pack was definitely more defined. Furthermore, his muscled felt firmer than before, it was like they were sculptured on his body by the greatest of artists.

He was still flabbergasted that he didn't notice he had long hair. Perhaps he was too worried about his situation to notice or maybe it was simply because he didn't notice. His new body felt perfect to him and he didn't think of checking himself. Until a few moments before he wasn't even sure that his new body wasn't his original one.

'Now it comes the most important part' Alec thought as he started to lower his black trousers.

"Are you okay in there?" Hestia's voice came from the other side of the door.

Alex looked up startled by the sudden noise.

It seemed that he spent too much in there checking himself without noticing it.

"Yes, two minutes and I'm out," Alec shouted back.

"Fine," he heard Hestia reply before lowering his underwear.

After looking down, Alex sighed in relief.

His lower parts seemed to be grown a bit in girth and from a first glance, it seemed he gained an inch as well. Now he was about nine inches, and while he was grateful that the Goddess decided to gift him an extra inch, he was sure that it would make things a bit more complicated while having sex.

He decided that it was enough for the moment, so he composed himself, before getting out.

"Finally," he was greeted by an impatient Goddess.

"Let's go," Alec didn't mind it too much and the duo started to make their way to the Guild.

As they walked, they started to make some small talk.

"So, how long ago did you come to Orario," Alec asked, curious to understand how long it will be until canon events start.

He remembers that Hestia descended from Heaven 6 months before Canon. Hephaestus kicked her out after three months of freeloading, and she met Bell 15 days before the start of the anime.

"Five months ago. Hephaestus hosted me for three months before kicking me out. Luckily, she's a good person and bought me a place to stay, even if it's not the best. She's a very good friend," Hestia candidly stated, not at all embarrassed by the fact that she was kicked out by her good friend.

"Hephaestus is known worldwide. It would be interesting to meet the person behind the superb creation," Alec was looking forward to meeting the Goddess of the Forge, and hopefully, he would learn a thing or two from her.

"Perhaps someday I'll introduce you to her," Hestia told him with a small smile on her face.

"Thank you, that would be awesome!" Alec smiled back.

"Do you plan to enter the Dungeon right away? Are you even interested in being an adventurer?" Hestia questioned him.

To Alec, it seemed that she just now realized that she didn't ask him the appropriate questions. The way she readily accepted him, a complete stranger, into her family was a bit worrying. It wouldn't do well for the loli to trust so easily. Perhaps it was like Alec thought and she was simply desperate to have someone join her. He was sure that life was hard for a childless Goddess.

"I would like to venture into the Dungeon and see what all the hype is about. I believe that it would be fun to dive further and slay monsters along the way. At the moment my only goal is to get stronger and have fun, and perhaps one day to have a family," Alec told her truthfully.

He was just a 17 year old boy and he didn't have life goals at the moment. He just wanted to have fun.

"I see, then I'll wait for your safe return, so don't die," Hestia's tone was light, but when she stop to look at Alec, he could see concern and determination in her blue eyes, and he felt strangely touched by her feelings.

They just met and Hestia was already worrying for him.

"Don't worry, I don't think I'm that easy to kill," and he fully believe his words, even if his Goddess looked a bit skeptical.

He didn't take it to the heart. She didn't know that he had cheats, nor that he maxed his Level 0 stats.

It was quite strange.

Alec was quite sure that it never happened before. Normal people don't stand a chance in the Dungeon without a Falna, and the monsters that roamed the surface would easily slay normal folks. Sure, there may be exceptions, but they were rare, and either way, they wouldn't be able to go over S – 999.

Alec believed that he could only do it thanks to his system.

He couldn't wait to test his strength and discover how much stronger he was compared to regular Level One adventurers.

"Anyway, I think tomorrow morning would be a good moment to enter the Dungeon and start my adventure. What do you think?" Alec resumed their chat after finishing his considerations.

"I don't think it would be a problem as long as you learn about the monsters that spawn on the upper floors," Hestia shared her thoughts.

"And how would I learn of them?" Alec asked even if he could already guess the answer.

"From what I know, the Guild would assign you an advisor that is in charge to counsel you and monitor your progressions," Hestia relayed what little information she knew.

"I see," Alec already knew that and really hoped that he wouldn't get paired with someone annoying.

Eina was cute and all, but god she could nag. Not that she didn't have reasons not to. Bell was always in danger and in the middle of difficult situations, but while he was now a white-haired boy, he wasn't Bell. He didn't have his patience and he didn't have problems telling annoying people to fuck off.

"Speaking of the Guild, we're here," Hestia announce.

She was right, and they were in front of a big building. Alex was a bit disappointed, sure it was a nice building, but he saw more awesome ones when he was on Earth.

"Let's go in," Hestia prompted.

As they step in, Alec's opinion was instantly changed. It wasn't because of the building per se, but the atmosphere inside was… eye-opening.

It was the end of the day, and numerous adventurers were inside, going on about their business. They were numerous and very well assorted, not only in equipment and race but strength as well. There were quite a few people whom Alec felt a sense of danger from. There were also some whom Alec felt like they could kill him with only one hit.

Unknowingly and unwillingly a wide smile formed on his handsome face.

Alex was a competitive person, and he led his team to win Nationals three years in a row. He liked being at the top, and he would do almost anything to reach the peak.

"Everything all right?" Hestia asked carefully.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Alec's smiles fell as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Hestia looked at him strangely, before shaking her head.

"Nothing, you just smile, and let me tell you it was scary," Hestia fake shuddered.

"If you say so," Alec shrugged.

"Come on, let's get in line," Hestia decided.

The wide space was relative pack with people in line, waiting to be served at the various counters.

Hestia led him to the shorter line, but as Alec saw who was behind that specific counter, he decided to move from there.

Eina Tulle was a big no-no for him.

He quickly scanned the various lines and settled on the longest one.

"What are you doing?" Hestia hissed as Alec grabbed her and moved them.

"I have a good feeling about this line," Alex told her vaguely.

Hestia narrowed her eyes.

"Is that so?" she questioned him slowly.

"Yes, the clerk is quite handsome and if I get him as my advisor, I will have more chance to woo him," Alec told her while nodding to himself.

"Woo him? Do you like men Alec?" Hestia sounded and looked very confused, about what, Alec had no idea.

"Yes, I do. Do you have a problem with that?" Alex told her while being careful to keep his tone neutral and not jumping to conclusions.

"Problems? Absolutely not. We should be best friends!" Hestia exclaimed and Alex could literally see stars in her eyes.

"How about no," Alex replied mildly uncomfortable.

"Why?" she whined.

"Because we met just a few hours ago?" Alec pointed out.

"And?" Hestia replied stubbornly.

"And we can't because we don't know enough about each other. Furthermore, I'm quite sure Hephaestus is your best friend," Alec tried to reason.

Hestia started to pout but she wisely decided to drop the subject, but Alec could still see her determination burning in her eyes.

It didn't take much longer for them to be served.

In front of him stood the most handsome specimen of men that he met since waking up a few hours ago.

He was wearing the standard Guild uniform. Black vest and trousers with a white collared long sleeve shirt underneath and a grey bow tie, but most importantly he was built like a wall. He was about 203 cm (6ft 8'') tall. He had broad shoulders and a broad chest. Strong muscular arms and it seemed that his muscles were ready to rip the white shirt to shred and displayed themselves in all their glory. It was a sight that Alec wouldn't mind witnessing, and he was even ready for a bit of worshipping. He had short black hair and piercing icy-blue eyes, and Alec was eager to discover what would feel like to be at the end of their complete attention.

He seemed to be in his early thirties, which meant… He was totally a Daddy and Alec was 100% into him.

His musing was interrupted by a deep smooth voice.

"Good evening, I'm Senior Advisor Kang, what can I do for you?" He asked with a polite smile on his face.

'Other than fuck me into the mattress and against the nearest wall?' Alec thought shamelessly.

Thankfully Hestia spoke before the situation could turn awkward.

"We need to register a new adventurer," Hestia said proudly while puffing out her chest, not caring that her boobs were doing boing-boing.

"Very well, please compile this paper," He said after he handed over the form that he retrieved from the drawer behind him.

Alec took the form and after a quick glance he was relieved to see that he could understand the language written on it, and he was sure that he would be able to fill it on his own. After all, it wouldn't look good to appear illiterate in front of his new crush.

"Thank you," Alec offered the clerk a big smile, hoping that he would be able to sway him even a little.

The form asked very generic questions like name, age, Familia, name of the parents and if they were adventurers, and if yes, which Familia they belong to. It asked about the place of birth, background, and more.

Alec only bothered to write down his name, age, Familia, and nothing more. He was pretty confident that they wouldn't turn away. He knew the Guild didn't run background checks for new members, he knew that it wasn't simply done. They were reserved for more serious matters like spies and informants that worked for other countries and cities.

Alec was a nobody, a teenager that wished to join the Guild, and that was good enough for them.

He let Hestia check the form over, who only add their address before giving it back to Mr. Kang.

The Advisor checked the form and he looked unimpressed by what he was seeing, or to be more precise, by what wasn't there.

Nonetheless, he did his work and quickly processed the registration. He had to step out from the counter for fifteen minutes, before coming back.

"Here, the Adventurer I.D. and your bank account. As the name stated, your Adventurer I.D. serves as identification and works even outside of Orario. You shouldn't have any problem with it, but if you do, please head to the closest Guild Branch, and they would be able to help you out. Please take notice that the first one is issued for free, but for a new I.D., the price is 1.500 Valis. Speaking about money, issuing a new bank card it's a bit trickier, so be careful with it. Every adventurer has a bank account with the Guild and by using the bank card you're able to retrieve money from any Guild Branch all over the world. After you sell use magic stones and drop items, you have the choice to take coins or to put money in your account. The advantage of the latter is that nowadays almost every shop had a machine that allows the transfer of money from account to account. Please take notice that the Guild will acquire a small fee will for every purchase made with the card. In addition, there may be some places that may only accept coins, so make sure to always carry some with you," Kang told them in a monotone voice like it was something that he had to recite thousands of times, and he probably did.

Alex was taken aback by the mention of this new system since there wasn't any mention in canon, but he was grateful that he didn't have to carry around big sacks of money.

They both nodded and Mr. Kang spoke once again.

"Now to more serious thing. You need an advisor, right?" Mr. Kang asked and gone was the monotonous voice, and back was the polite tone.

"Yes, we are a newly formed Familia and neither of us has any concrete experience with the Dungeon, so an advisor would be quite appreciated. In addition, if you would be so kind to tell me where I can buy books or information about the Upper Floors of the Dungeon, I would be grateful," Alec opted to be honest as it wouldn't hurt it in this situation.

Kang looked at him like he was an idiot.

"We have a starter pack for newly registered Adventurers that contain: ten small potions, a guide for the Upper Floors, a small pouch, and a decent size backpack for 5.000 Valis. Would you be interested?" Mr. Kang asked in a hopeful tone.

Alec didn't know if it was because he was hoping to sell something, or because not many adventurers would take his request seriously. If he had to bet, he would put his money on the latter. He had an inkling that not many new adventurers would be willing to spend so much money on something like that, especially if one considered that the standard weapon and light armor issued by the guild would total to about 7.000 Valis.

All in all, 13.000 Valis in one go wasn't something that a lot of newbies could spend on their first day.

"I'm very interested, but I forgot to bring my money pouch with me. If it's all right with you, I would like to come and collect it tomorrow morning, is that okay?" Alec inclined his head a bit as he looked at the clerk.

"Do you have any equipment?" Mr. Kang decided to ask instead of reply to Alec's question.

"Yes, I have a weapon and armor. You don't need to worry about that," Alec told him and from the corner of his eyes noticed that Hestia was looking at him and she was about to open her mouth to perhaps offer him some money, but Alec minutely shook his head.

Luckily Hestia got the message and decided to not intervene.

Sure, he could take the money out of the system, but one it would be quite awkward, and he didn't know about to explain the sudden appearance of coins, and two, he was hoping for some one-on-one time with the handsome advisor.

Mr. Kang regarded him with a considering glance, before letting out a small sigh.

"Don't worry about it! The kit is on me, take it as a welcoming gift and the start of our new collaboration," Mr. Kang said with a small smile on his face, and Alec love the sight of it.

"New collaboration?" Hestia decided that moment to remind them of her presence, and as Mr. Kang's genuine smile was replaced by a polite one, Alec felt annoyance at the Goddess, but he knew that it wasn't her fault, so he didn't dwell on it.

"Yes, you need an advisor and I'm the best of the best around here. Even though it has been a while since I had an adventurer under my wing, I'm sure that I can still outperform every advisor in this Guild," Mr. Kang explained, and Hestia nodded her assent.

It seemed that she didn't have anything against the new team.

"I don't doubt that you can outperform everyone in this guild," Alec told him with a smirk to go along with his own innuendo.

Mr. Kang raised his eyebrow and the look he was sending in his direction, sent a shiver down his spine and directly to his dick.

After a moment it was Mr. Kang's turn to smirk as he noticed the little tent on Alec's trousers.

Alec cleared his throat, not at all deterred from the discovery of the 'problem' in his neither region.

"That was very generous of you! I will bring breakfast tomorrow morning as a thank you, so don't eat too much," Alec smiled brightly at the older man

"You don't need to. It's my job to look after adventurers," Mr. Kang tried to reason with him.

"I know that, but I want to," Alec shot back with a smile.

Mr. Kang's genuine smile was back, and Alec couldn't stop his smile from widening.

"Then, I thank you. Just to be clear I have no allergies and I eat about everything," his new advisor told him, and Alec nodded.

Mr. Kang left them alone to go and retrieve the starting pack. As he left, Alec had the chance to look around and was surprised that only a handful of adventurers were left in the building and most of them were in line for the exchange counter.

It didn't take long for Mr. Kang to be back carrying a black backpack in his arms.

"Here, that's for you," He told Alec.

The teen took it, but before he could completely get his hands back from the middle of the counter, he felt strong hands wrapping around his wrists. Alec wasn't scared, and the only indication that he was surprised was the slightest widening of his eyes.

He noticed how callous his hands were, and Alec had the impression that those hands could snap his neck with just a fraction of their power. He was sure of it, but despite that notion, he was surprised by how delicate they were in their holding. It was like they were holding something precious and easily broken.

"Don't go out there and die on me, okay?" Mr. Kang spoke softly, just above a whisper, but Alec was able to hear him very clearly.

Now he was showing an open expression, with eyes full of concern, probably for the high number of young ones that die in the Dungeon, but Alec couldn't be sure.

Right at that moment, Alec was sure that this man was the most handsome man he ever met. If before Alec would describe him as sexy or sex on legs, this time there was something different. He was still handsome, but there was something… more. The vulnerability he was showing, was a bit out of place. They just met and they were complete strangers, but it didn't stop him from showing genuine concern for someone he didn't really know.

Now Alec couldn't tell if it was due to some trauma or something else in his past, nonetheless, in his eyes, it made him a good person.

Senior Advisor Kang was a good person.

That's what his instinct was shouting at him, and he had the habit to listen to it.

"I won't die as long as you'll be waiting for me," there were a lot of things that Alec could have said, but he settled on something that felt the most right to him.

Sure, it may sound out of please and even cheesy, but they weren't speaking to each other like they were lovers, for they weren't. They were words of promises and friendship, that both would do their utmost to look out for each other.

It was the start of a friendship, and in time, maybe, something more.

They nodded to each other, and in an instant, Mr. Kang's façade was back in place.

"Thank you for your help. I'll see you in the morning, take care!" Alec smile one more time.

"It was my pleasure. I'll see you tomorrow and see to not cause trouble," Mr. Kang said in his polite tone, but Alec detected just the barest hint of amusement.

"Lady Hestia," Mr. Kang said respectfully.

"Mr. Senior Advisor," Hestia nodded at him, before starting to make her way out with Alec on her right side.

"Let's go, Alec! That's where our adventure starts," Hestia told him excitedly.

"No, this is where our Familia begins," Alec shot back.

Hestia readily agreed with him.

"You're right, this is where our Familia begins," Hestia took Alec's hand in hers.

They continued to walk out, but before they were completely out of the Guild, Hestia spoke.

"What was that about?" Hestia asked him with a look that told him she was fishing for gossip.

"That, my dear Goddess, was a pure Daddy," Alec replied shamelessly, with a bit of teasing as he wasn't really sure what really happened in there.

Unbeknownst to them, they were heard by Mr. Kang, who after a moment of surprise, chuckled to himself.

A few co-workers were hiding, looking at the scene in various states of shock.