City Exploration

"So I'm really in an entirely different world..."

Ryuu thought as he left the mansion and saw the unbelievable scenes of beings of many different races treating each other with respect, something that could never happen in the "Outer" side.

What was truly impressing for him though, was the concept of 'Levels' Hermes explained and how it truly worked in elevating his power to further heights.

As a dragon born to fight, the mere thought of getting stronger after each battle filled Ryuu with anticipation and wonder. In this new world, not only were his parameters able to increase, but he could also unlock mysterious Magic, Skills, and Development abilities. There were also [Grimoires] that could forcibly teach him magic, something unheard of in the "Outer" side.

"Could our Outer side really be the most prosperous one though?"

Ryuu wondered. In the Outer, it would take thousands, if not millions of years for a being to achieve a formidable level, but in just 100 years here, a genius could grow from an Ant to a Mighty Dragon, even capable of reaching the level of a formidable Demi-God, just one step below the real Gods who each held an [Arcanum] as proof of their power.

As Ryuu wandered aimlessly through the city and his thoughts were rapidly spinning from one exciting piece of information to another, his mere presence left any passerby utterly stunned. If before, Ryuu's Draconian appearance was enough to make many Dragon ladies turn their head in wonder and infatuation, now his 'Human' appearance that was perfected to an apex any mortal could not compare with, made almost any woman regardless of race chatter in pure curiosity and faint attraction as they compared him to some God of Beauty that recently descended.

Not knowing if Ryuu was a God, any male seeing this scene merely smiled bitterly in defeat.

The intense disturbance he caused was merely perceived to Ryuu as the common sight of beauties appreciating him, thus eliciting no reaction at all, as he was too used to it.

While he left his destination purely to destiny, in another location not too distant...

'... Why does no one want me?'

Her head dropped as she silently uttered these words. However, merely an instant passed as she managed to cheer up on her own.

'No! I will not let myself down like this. Someone will surely accept to become part of my Familia! I just have to keep trying!'

Running all the way to the next house, Hestia, the real new Goddess that recently descended, was determined to get herself her first Familia member...

As Ryuu was walking down the road, he was abruptly stopped by a silver-bell voice...

"Dear Customers! Do you want to come and try our special menu? We assure you'll want seconds!"

Turning his head in her direction, he could obviously recognize the features that distinguished her as one of the so-called Cat-people, but Ryuu couldn't care less about that.

'Could a random employee really have such tyrannical strength?'

He was dumbfounded. Although he could not really 'quantify' in the concept of levels what his dangers senses were telling him, Ryuu could be sure the mere presence of the being was so thin he could barely acknowledge her. If it was not for her shouting her lungs out, he would never have seen her properly, and that made his scalp tingle.

'I severely underestimated this place'

Although Orario appeared as a nice and warm city, almost any level 2 or above [Adventurer] was enough for Ryuu to feel faint pressure, as his Danger senses were developed so incredulously, no being could be outside his analysis, except Gods that were clearly insurmountable mountains for him at the moment.

Of course, the smiling Cat-Person instantly saw his reaction, which made her smile deepen as she totally misunderstood his reaction. She quickly abandoned her 'job' as she approached him.

"Dear Customer, could you please accompany me for a quick chat? It will be my treat-nya..."

She even had the audacity to add a -nya to her sentence, which Ryuu understood easily was barely to tease him.

'... Could the Heavens truly curse me to death?'

While Ryuu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, another being silently observing the situation sighed.

'Hermes-sama did tell me to protect him for a few days just in case anything happened sooner than needed, but I did not expect him to really have to find trouble with someone of her caliber... This is troublesome'

Asfi knew that the 'Candidate Hero' Hermes referred to did not have a Familia crest, which meant he had no way to properly defend himself. Hermes wouldn't normally go out of his way to explain the situation to Asfi, but he knew that Ryuu seemed to have the worst luck he had ever seen. Ryuu might be able to find hidden opportunities to avoid danger, but it wouldn't matter if he died early, though the person in question had no wish to court death.

She was annoyed by the 'job' Hermes made her do, but nevertheless, Asfi was prepared to step out and help him this once in case the famous 'Black Cat' decides to do anything rash.

Though, her worries were unnecessary…

"…So you're saying your reaction was purely because you figured out details about me with a single glance?"

Chloe asked, her expression serious. Although it was normal for intelligent beings to have heightened senses, most people with such high perception could at most tell that she was not weak, as she had trained her entire life to not let people like Ryuu see anything about her. The fact he could clearly perceive her abnormality made her think that Orario could welcome a new powerhouse in a few years.

Looking back on her thoughts now, Chloe Rollo wasn't sure if she was foolish or simply had yet to understand what the being in front of her was capable of. Nevertheless, that's a story for another time.

"Of course," Ryuu replied.

"Your entire aura is as silent as the night, your mesmerizing green eyes are hiding an incomparable sharpness within them. Your face has seen and borne the vicissitudes of time, and even your hands are refined tools capable of snapping a person's neck in an instant..."

As Ryuu described her in such a profound way, Chloe's normally impenetrable wall showed signs of crumbling, even if only for a moment. She realized that Ryuu had no ulterior motives or strange thoughts towards her; he was simply appreciating and recognizing the efforts she put into surviving in her previous hellish environment.

Despite not being aware of it herself, Chloe felt comforted in some way by the fact that someone admired her for her true nature, not because of some superficial qualities like kindness or external beauty. This made her eyes shine for a second as a genuine smile appeared on her lips.

"What a shame you're not of my ideal appearance, otherwise, I would've already fallen head over the heels in love with you."

Sighing, Chloe patted Ryuu on the shoulder before her entire demeanor changed. She chose to close the lid once again, as she now knew that Ryuu wasn't someone from her country who somehow recognized her, as she had originally thought. While she listened to Ryuu speak, Chloe could feel sincerity emanating from him. As an assassin who had to interrogate countless people using any method necessary, Chloe was skilled at distinguishing a lie from the truth. She knew that Ryuu was being genuine with her, and that was enough.

Before Ryuu could reply, Chloe added, "Dear customer, come and try our special menu! I'll treat you as an apology for my unsightly behavior just now…"

It's worth noting that both Ryuu and Chloe had noticed Asfi long ago. Ryuu, of course, had felt her gaze linger on him after he stepped out of Hermes' mansion, so he chose not to say anything and let her do what she needed to, as he could feel that her intentions were not malicious. Chloe, as skilled as she was, had instantly seen Asfi, but seeing Ryuu's reaction, had also chosen not to say anything about it and let Asfi observe the entire scene. This left Asfi dumbfounded by what she heard.

'It seems I was conceited' Asfi thought to herself. 'If Hermes-sama sent me here, it maybe meant as a lesson for me to understand how profound this being truly is.'

Although she couldn't compare to Ryuu, Asfi did have exceptional observation skills, and through observing any single female passerby smiling at the sight of a handsome male, or the Black Cat's reaction, only one word came to mind that could justify it all: charisma. Ryuu had high charisma, enough to turn enemies into allies and make others have a favorable impression of him no matter what happened.

Stepping back, Asfi deemed it necessary to know if Ryuu's physical abilities were up to the same level as his ability with words, but that would be for another time to see…