Cost

I tried to stand up from the bed, hissing at the dull ache on my leg. An ache—which I surmised was what remained of the pain through whatever healing method was used on me—had already lessened to an insignificant degree.

Hestia, who had been looking at me in silence for a while after my last words, stepped away to let me stand up from the bed, looking at me with the same worried look she sported ever since I woke up. However, after my… confession, that gaze held an undertone of understanding. One which I didn't have a hard time comprehending why it looked so endearing.

I… I hadn't opened up in a long time. Was it… college? No, high school? I couldn't remember. Point was, a weird feeling spread throughout my body. I felt unburdened.

The idea to tell something so personal to a person I could be stuck with for the rest of my life seemed both stupid and intelligent. On the one hand, souring or rendering awkward our relationship because I couldn't keep my mouth shut when a beautiful woman looked at me with sincere care for a couple of seconds could have been a stupid ending. But then again, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I had so much time ahead of me with her—possibly eternity—that such actions would eventually fade away in the long term. I put myself under contract with her, and I didn't expect to break free from it. No, it would be more accurate to say I didn't even know if I'd want to in the future. I couldn't predict this — I was not an oracle.

So… seeing Hestia react like she did, made me think things might be different this time. It felt nice.

I rested my feet—the normal feet—on the ground, stretching my toes, hearing a familiar cracking as I did. And then came the other feet. I slowly removed the blanket from my partially healed leg. Partially healed?

"Hestia," I said. She perked up at the mention of her name after the unbearable silence extending over us since I spoke. Although it looked like I had taken her out of her contemplations, my goddess still bore a small smile as her expression made her look focused on my words. "What happened after… after that asshole knocked me out?"

"Y-You weren't just knocked out… you were dying, Tian," she said, her throat still raspy from all the crying she did. I didn't answer. I just scraped the sole of my hurt leg on the ground, a rippling discomfort spreading from it.

After a brief pause, Hestia continued, "I-I — Mia chased away the… the one who inflicted such wounds to you," she spat out. Again, that hatred. The one that I would have never expected from her. "After that, I — No, we tried to find a healer who would stop your fate…"

I groaned as the ground accepted more of my foot on itself. Slowly but surely, I stood on both of my feet, noticing an imbalance in the responsiveness of my lower limbs. Considering entering the dungeon was now a priority, it was a major setback. "Well, I'm not dead right now," I said with a small chuckle. "So I guess you managed to find one?"

"Yes, we did…"

"I suppose they didn't…" I spent a look at my leg, which looked as good as new from the outside. "Do it for free."

"No, he didn't…"

My eyes flickered to her face. "So? What's the cost? No, even better, what was the method he used to heal me?" If there was any way I could reproduce this effect, I wouldn't miss it. I didn't know how to use my qi—yet, and…

My fist tightened. Goddamn it. If only I knew… If only I didn't dally around this world ever since I came. If only I took this whole thing seriously from the beginning. If only I…

It didn't matter anymore. I knew nothing of value was lost so far. I was healed; I didn't die, and it made me realize something truly crucial. I couldn't trust my soul sight—not yet, at least. There was some individual in this world that knew how to use qi to a minimal extent. That bastard knew how to hide his qi. He could even probably use it to boost his physical capabilities since he had it run through his body like lightning. And that black substance…

I shook my head, clearing it from these ruminations. The only thing which was trampled upon was my pride. My jaw found itself clenched in a matter of seconds at this thought… Power. I needed power. Of any sort. So that it would never happen again.

I held in my mind the key to infinite power… and I didn't take advantage of it. I was given another way to get power through my goddess, whom I sent a glance at the thought, and wandered around for a few days aimlessly all the same. I still hadn't stepped into the dungeon.

I got comfortable. A new world, a new adventure… and once I knew it wasn't a xianxia, I spent every day living as if I was in my previous world. Wake up, work, eat, train a bit, sleep, and then repeat. I wasted more than a week, where I should have been scrapping for every ounce of power I could, whatever way I could.

I brought my fist in front of my face and tightened my fingers even more. Power… I needed it.

"Are you okay, Tian?" I heard Hestia ask, in the same concerned tone. She curled her fingers around my arm, gently gripping it, and looked at me with wet eyes.

"Ah, yeah… yeah, I am. Just… thinking about stuff."

"Tian." She dragged me to look at her, her dainty palms deposited on each side of my head. "You can be honest with me." Her usual chirpy tone was now a gentle choir, one that made me gulp. I forgot deities have an in-built lie detector for a second. I should have thought of what answer to give instead of just blurting out something.

My lips thinned into a line as I pondered for a second. "I… uh, I realized what I needed," I said, taking a deep breath. "I was lazy, unfocused. I thought I could wander in a world like this freely. Well, I thought wrong, and I was shown why yesterday."

"Hestia." I looked into her eyes, bolstered by an untold determination. A goal, no matter how vague, was something that I lacked. I was shown the path, one I followed in my previous world, and one that I would continue following in this world. Both times, I needed to be shown how low I was, so that I could get my shit together. I burned the face of that bastard bright into my memory. One day… one day… We shall see how you respond when you have your chest bashed in and your body dragged in mud in front of everyone.

"I need — no, I want power. I can't stay at the bottom, I just can't, that's not me. I was arrogant and walked into this city disparaging everything over a stupid misconception." Thinking qi was something I could use to gauge the strength of each had been a foolish thought. "That's why from now on, I'll start again. Consider that my near-death was for the better so my mindset could be reborn in the right way. On the right path."

"W-What?"

"Yeah, there'll be one day where I won't have to worry about this kind of thing happening anymore, and you won't have to worry about losing the sole member of your Familia," I said, smiling a bit at the confusion on Hestia's face. The idea of being powerful and respected was an intoxicating dream for someone like me, one which would mean much more in this world compared to the other, and one I was forced to realize how far it was. "How does the sound of strongest Familia feel?"

My open palm stretched towards her. Old Hinks knew what handshakes were, so I hoped Hestia knew what this gesture meant.

I heard a repressed sob. My smile fell as I watched Hestia break down in tears again. I was confused until I watched a beautiful smile break out on her face. She started to laugh at the same time, creating an expression that was only beautiful because she was a goddess, I guessed.

I sighed in relief, my grin returning. I guess this was the official start of our story together, then?

A cough came from the entrance of the room. Hestia jumped in fright while I tensed and narrowed my eyes.

My head jerked towards the source of the noise. There, stood a tall and thin man, his body covered by a long and well-worn black robe, his facial feature tangled between being both handsome and feminine, he sported dark blue hair. His eyes twinkled with a hint of amusement at our reaction, dismissing the threatening stance I took. This was a god—if the pulsing star of qi inside of him was not enough of a hint.

I missed his arrival here because I was too preoccupied with the situation at hand, thus marking the second time I lost control of my qi with emotional moments. Though, now that I knew some could hide their energy from me, I entertained the thought of facing a deity who knew how to hide theirs.

"Sorry, sorry…" the god chuckled, his slightly narrowed eyes switching between Hestia and me.

"M-Miach! Don't scare us like this!" Hestia screamed, letting out a sigh of relief, wiping the tears from her face so that he wouldn't see it. Miach?

I didn't recognize this person. Then again, I never claimed to be a mythology expert, so a few names were bound to completely fall flat in my memories.

As the two deities talked to each other like new acquaintances, I watched and listened, still out of the loop. One question grew in my mind. My gaze washed over the entire room, searching for something—for someone.

Where did Tiamat go?

Hestia coughed in her fist and gestured to the god who just entered the room. "Tian, I present you Miach, a new friend of mine." Her hand then pointed towards me and her eyes went to him. "Miach, here is Tian, my child."

"I welcome you to my humble abode, Tian," said Miach, his smile widening a tad as he ever so slightly bowed. Huh, I never expected a god to be so courteous, especially to someone as weak as myself. Even so, bowing? Eina did the same when I first entered Pantheon, but back then I just shrugged it off and thought it was an 'Eina' thing. I guess this is another social norm of this city I have to memorize. "We rarely get patient these days, I apologize for the less-than-ideal room."

"Ah, there is no need to apologize. I can't imagine whatever my condition was would be… easy to cure," I said.

"No, no, nothing of the sort. Hestia told me about some magic stuck to your leg and looking very painful, but it was long gone when you arrived in our care. However, while your internal wounds were easily healed with the help of a mild health potion, the injury on your right calf and your right foot…" His lips thinned and I sighed in understanding.

"You need to understand, Tian," Hestia chimed in. "If it wasn't treated very quickly, I-I — No, we feared you would never have been able to use your leg as an adventurer again."

"As an adventurer?" I needed to assess the level of damage I sustained and was saved from. "What do you mean by that?"

"While you wouldn't have lost the usage of it, the damage on your nerves, especially, would have been fatal to your ability to properly move anything down your right kneecap. Even running would have been out of the question," said Miach, his tone turning serious.

That explained the level of pain I felt when I was attacked by the dark sludge. It focused on my nervous system—it honestly sounded like a torture spell. And it was one that worked to a horrific extent. I felt like my leg was on fire and frostbit at the same time. I felt like my leg was being broken and clumsily put back together, shards of bones seeping deep into my flesh. I felt like… anyway; it was a terrifying experience that had me wincing just with the memories of it.

"Even with the treatment we administrated, I am honestly not sure if it'll be enough. Do you feel any discomfort, pain, or anything alarming?" asked Miach.

"No, I — Actually, when the sole of my right feet first touched the floor and I tried to move around for a bit, there was a slight sense of imbalance between the two legs," I said, and Miach nodded, his eyes drawn to the bandage on my leg. They had rolled up my pants on the right side to apply treatment and removed my shirt, but them being as loose as they were, the right side already threatened to roll back down my leg. "But." I moved around a bit, feeling no difference beyond a slight ache. "It seems alright now."

"That's great then," he said, and with that, his smile was back. "I do recommend to be careful for a few days, minimum, just in case. If you ever need a follow-up in healing, feel free to visit the Miach Familia again."

"Thank you," I said, as he turned around after a curt bow and walked towards the door. One decisively important question hadn't been asked yet. "And what about payment?"

"Oh," blurted out Hestia. "I-I agreed with Miach to work in his shop for the time being…"

"Yes, I thought you'd wanted to discuss of this with your goddess."

"Work? But what about your job at the stand, Hestia?" I asked, confused.

"Ah, well — about that… Don't worry, don't worry, I'll manage," she said, giving me one of those bright smiles that were too wide to be true. "Don't look at me like that Tian, I'm your goddess, so it's my job to take care of you if you're hurt…"

I pursed my lips in discomfort. Sending a glance to the other god in the room, I wasn't the only one seeing through Hestia's words. Not only I knew from Eina Familias definitely didn't work with the god taking care of the mortal members, it was the contrary, but Hestia, for all intent and purpose, was a walking lie detector that didn't know how to lie.

"What is the price for the treatment I received?" I asked Miach. I couldn't let the situation evolve in this direction… all of our money went to the renovation of the church. It was already spent. We only had enough money to eat each day. Her job at the stand was important for our income at the moment, since it was a daily source of money. The same reason why I needed to go in the dungeon in the first place.

My jaw tightened. I couldn't let her abandon her job just because of my stupid mistakes. It just couldn't happen.

"S-Stop Tian! We already discussed the details with Miach!" Hestia held my arm as if trying to hold me back and beg at the same time, her lips quivering.

"Sorry Hestia, but I can't let you abandon your job at the stand. We already discussed why."

"Abandon? Where did you get that from?" Hestia said, confused.

"Well—"

"She agreed to work for my Familia from the start of the evening to the beginning of the morning," interrupted Miach, his brows furrowed.

My breath paused for a second. The Miach Familia's hospital was open during the night? That would explain why they could heal me, but that raised another question. She started working the entire day at the stand ever since I joined her Familia. If Miach's words were to be trusted, she would have to basically work 24 hours each day. My eyes flickered to Hestia, who was now silent, and looked at the ground.

"I-I didn't want you to know," she whispered. "I-It's not a big deal to me…"

I sighed. My goddess was too good for me. It was me who should be ashamed, not you, Hestia. I still couldn't let that happen. I would be lying if I said a spark of resentment didn't form in me towards Miach who was willing to exploit someone like this, but I doubted a city full of superpowered assholes would have much in the way of worker's law. I also doubted I could complain to anyone about debt management, and I didn't know if he was aware she worked during the day, to begin with. "Sir Miach, for how long Hestia would have to work here to repay the debt?"

"Ah, well…" He scratched the back of his head, as if embarrassed. "To be honest, the actual cost of the healing is a bit high."

My breath hitched.

"If we count everything, it would come to maybe… a year or two of work?" He said, with each of his words, his voice got quieter.

"A year or two?!" I nearly screamed and my gaze switched rapidly between the two deities in the room. I swallowed the lump stuck in my throat. This was worse than I thought. D-Doesn't a fantasy world come with better healing methods? Was my injury so hard to heal?

I didn't know. I couldn't know, since I haven't done my research. Again, the result of my nonchalance towards the world once I knew it wasn't a xianxia came back to bite me in the arse.

"While I wanted to erase the debt, my captain informed me of how much we might need a helping hand and we settled on 3 months of working when I learned of your financial situation," said Miach while his eyes became unfocused as if thinking of an old memory. "You see, my Familia suffered from an unlucky event which had us lose friends and money. The treatment put us in debt, a truly… troublesome situation. So when Hestia here explained to me your current conditions, it kind of struck a chord within me…?" He finished his words with an awkward laugh. Probably because of the face I was making right now.

I couldn't believe it. Nobody is that charitable, especially if they happened to have a debt to pay off themselves. "I-Is your debt paid off?" I blurted out, before cursing myself for being this direct. It was obvious I was suspicious now. My opportunity to fish for information and see if it was true or not was wasted.

"No, it's not… but we're not desperate anymore, me and Naaza." A Familia of two? So they sustained what I imagined was an enormous debt by themselves? I couldn't make sense of the situation. I grabbed my forehead and rubbed it while I frowned, letting out a long sigh as I ruminated about the situation.

"I have an alternative," I said after a rather long pause. I sent a look at the worried Hestia, who was still stuck to me. "I currently am an apprentice blacksmith at Tsubaki's Workshop, under the Cyclops herself."

The way his eyes widened slightly filled me with relief. "I think that speaks of my talent and potential by itself. What I would like to suggest is that I take care of the debt—as I should." I looked at Hestia again, who hesitantly nodded at my expression. "And so I would repay the full brunt of the debt with material objects instead."

"I see…" Miach frowned in thought.

"It doesn't matter what you need; Weapons, armors, furniture… anything, you have it. So long as it goes to my debt."

"..."

"What do you think, Sir Miach?"

"Well, it's true we can't keep on continuing like this…" he murmured before his gaze met mine. "Alright, so we would commission you work for the payment?"

I nodded. I hated being in debt, especially if it ended up being someone important to me suffering from it. From what I knew, deities needed to sleep just like anyone else in this body, and the thought of Hestia working day and night for even an entire month… it wasn't workable. I'll have to start going into the dungeon right this instant, that meant only working part-time with Tsubaki as we discussed. But I sent a look at Hestia. My facial features softened. It was a different look, accompanied by a small smile.

"I have to admit I don't know what would be your worth, so I do not know what could be worth three months of work…"

"No, Sir Miach. When I said I would take the full brunt, I meant it. Whatever the amount of money you calculated, it is what I own you," I said, sending him a pointed look. "I know it's what's free in life that tends to be the most expensive."

Hestia blinked a few times, bit her lips, but ultimately stayed silent, while Miach did the same, for different reasons. After a while, a wide smile broke on his face, and his previous friendly atmosphere came back.

"I see, I see… You are truly an interesting person, Tian. If that is what you desire, then it is what shall be."

I smiled back and stretched my open palm towards him. Which he squeezed after only a second of hesitation. If Miach was revealed to be as altruistic as he proclaimed, then maybe I could hope deities in this world would be all good people. But since I only had a pool of two deities met so far, I would refrain from making any broad judgment for now.

That's how I ended up in this situation, to begin with… Arrogantly assuming broad generalization about the world and acting upon them. Change started today after all.

"In that case, I'll be leaving you two alone," he said, bowing once more.

After Miach had left the room, it didn't take me long before I asked Hestia if she could update my status. My torso hit the cold blanket on the bed, as I made sure my right leg wouldn't be put in an uncomfortable position—since I was unwilling to feel that pain if I could avoid it.

My mind went back to the man who beat me, again. The knowledge others could use qi would honestly scare me if the man was a fully-fledged cultivator. However, he lacked the pathways of a cultivator, both meridians and dantians. My mind, only now, wandered back to how his soul sea looked when he stopped hiding his qi. The energy was diffused inside the entirety of his body because he didn't physically possess the vessels required to use it to its full potential—just like everyone else that I saw in this world.

I would like to say this relieved me, but I couldn't trust my soul sight anymore, at least not completely. I raised too many questions yesterday, for the price of getting beaten up. How could I know he didn't hide his pathways, just like he did with his qi?

The man was drunk, however, why would he hide his qi in the first place, does that entail there is some sort of secret organization this man was part of who knew of the existence of qi and the general populace didn't? Even Tsubaki didn't know what qi was, and she didn't seem to hide hers either, but I couldn't be sure anymore.

Maybe she did as well, unconsciously, but that would mean the man also could have—

"Tian?" Hestia's voice broke me out of my reverie. Again, too many questions, not enough answers.

"Yes?"

My goddess took a short pause to answer, as I heard her gulp and could feel the small shaking of her hands on my back. She had already taken her seat on me to update my Falna. "...I-I apologize," she said in a quiet voice.

"For what?" I asked, craning to the side to look at the woman sitting on me. Because of the position I was in, the ache in my torso from the cat-man's blow registered in my mind, but was likened to a small discomfort rather than pain.

"For taking decisions without you…"

I thinned my lips, only taking a second to think about my answer. "Hestia, why do you think this requires you to apologize?"

"A-Aren't you mad?"

"About what?"

"Well, me deciding to work for Miach to repay the debt."

"First, it's my debt. You shouldn't have to take responsibility for my stupid decisions, even if I'm part of your Familia. Second—"

"No," she said, with a wrinkle appearing between her brows. "Tian, a Familia is not just an organization where you give what you take. At least not for me…" Her body fell on mine, as her hands squeezed my shoulders, looking for comfort. I could feel her breasts squashed against my back, and realized they were bigger than Tsubaki's despite the difference in height between the two women.

The smell of home, again, wafted in my nostrils. I took a deep breath, which was a mistake since I nearly inhaled some of her long and black hair that draped around my nape. Oh.

I just noticed she didn't have her usual hairstyle, her ponytails were gone and her hair was now wavy and free, reaching quite far down her body if the length of the surrounding hair was any sign.

"Tian," she repeated, but this time, with her whispering it near my ear, in a very different tone, did things to me. "A Familia for me is more… than that. I want people to gather under the roof of a house, gathering close to each other when it's freezing, trying to help each other, I-I want to be the one giving them the warmth they need to fight the cold world, I... I want friends to laugh with, I want people I can talk of everything with... I don't want to be lonely again... I want a family…"

I stayed silent.

"Is that too much to ask for?" She sounded so vulnerable, so open. I didn't know what to answer. Tears were threatening to come out of her eyes. I could feel it in her voice. But she asked for a lot, a lot I wasn't sure I could provide. A family… My eyes gradually lowered until my vision was filled with either the blanket or her hair.

I-I missed mine. It only hit me now. I was so preoccupied with everything, overwhelmed by novelty, that I forgot what I had to give to get it. I had lost everything, friends, identity, family…

I would never see my parents again… Fuck.

"I-I don't know…" Words wouldn't come out, even though I pushed, and I pushed. It was as if sludge was stuck in my throat, and no matter how many times I swallowed, it wouldn't go away.

I couldn't do it. "I didn't know that was how you felt. We can look for that in the future. Right now is a bit too early to talk about family," I said, the words falling flat even to my ears.

"I-I see," she said after a brief pause, the hurt clear in her voice. "Thank you for considering my wishes, Tian."

We stayed silent for a long time, the needed update of my Falna forgotten, buried underneath the emotional weight of the discussion.

It was her whose voice cut through the silence first, "I thought you were angry at me for making a deal with Miach without consulting you because of the way you looked at me…" She straightened up, her hair tickling me as they caressed my skin when she lifted her head.

I blinked, my train of thought interrupted. It was for the better. I wanted — no; I needed to think about something else. I turned my head around once more, putting myself in an uncomfortable position, to look into her eyes. "No, that's not why I looked at you like this."

"Okay… T-Then why?"

"..." I didn't answer. We just stared into each other's eyes for what seemed to be an eternity. I felt my cheeks gain heat at the memory, and I send her a meaningful grin. Soon after, her face was painted a rosy tint before it fully reddened.

"W-We better get your Status updated," she said, dragging her eyes away from mine to my back, her eyelashes fluttering with all the blinking she was doing. I nodded and put back my head onto the bed.

A drop of ichor dripped onto me, spread like fire, and soon warmth filled my whole body. I took a deep breath, enjoying the experience, while Hestia massaged my back, working her magic. Soon, the burst of flame was over, and my body cooled down.

"There, it's all done!" Her chirpy voice had returned, as I felt her weight disappear from my back. I turned around, resting my head against the frame of the bed, and I took the paper with my status written on it. "Ta-da!" she said as she gave it to me.

Tian

Level 1

Strength I0->I47

Endurance I0->86

Dexterity I0->I34

Agility I0->I26

Magic I0->I0

Skills:

Quintessence: Because one must know themselves, before walking the road of the sky.

Magic:

The Essence of Life: (Variable Chant Magic)

Alters reality following the way of the five elements.​

"Is that supposed to be good?" I asked, not feeling a difference. In terms of numbers, the biggest boost being endurance made sense considering the beating I took yesterday.

"Ah, well, I don't really know, you're my first child…" She glanced to the side for a second before meeting my gaze. "But don't worry! I will accept you unconditionally!" She gave me a thumbs up with a smile.

"Oh, well, it's not a problem. I'm going to the dungeon tomorrow, so I'll be able to test things out a little bit."

I could see Hestia freeze from the corner of my eyes. "I-Is that so? What about your work at Tsubaki's Workshop?"

It wasn't hard to guess how Hestia felt. "Hestia, I have to go through this, even if it means putting myself in danger… I can't just stay there and expect the world to come to me," I said before taking a brief pause. "Especially not after what happened yesterday."

I tried to look into her eyes, but she refused to meet my gaze, instead opting to stare at the ground, her hands stuck to her side, gripping her dress harder and harder. "I-I know that… I know, but… I don't want to stop you. No, I even dreamed of having the children of my Familia go into the dungeon, grow stronger — better, each day. But, now I have someone who trusted me enough to join my Familia, even if I can't offer them anything, i-it's a lot different. When I had nothing to lose, it was easy to dream without considering the worse possible scenario."

"Hestia…"

"I know it's a problem. I'm too sticky, and ever since you joined, I-I tried to hug you every time I could. I just don't want to lose you."

"...You know I don't exactly hate it."

"Really?" she asked, her voice full of hope, so much so that a smile broke on her face.

"Yep."

She didn't waste a single second. She dashed into my chest for what felt like the 9th time today. A familiar scent brushed my nose, and an equally familiar feeling appeared in my mind, making me instantly relax. I laughed a bit at the speed with which she closed the distance between the two of us, but I threw the paper on the bed before returning the hug.

"For Tsubaki, we already had an agreement: When I start going into the dungeon, I go from full-time worker to part-time worker."

"Wouldn't that make you too tired?" She asked, her voice muffled by the confines of my chest she was currently sticking her face on. I learned quickly since I entered her Familia that Hestia had a muscle fetish of some sort, so it didn't surprise me anymore.

"More than working 24 hours a day, without sleeping?" I asked, my voice taking a mocking undertone.

"..."

"Everything will work out in the end, I'll make sure of it," I said. And I meant it. I wasted time, and now I needed to compensate for it. The world was enormous, and I lacked information about the powers rampaging through it. Not only that, but I also neglected my training with qi, and ended up suffering from it.

I clenched my fist behind Hestia's back as a thought hit me. I sighed, entertaining the thought the stars were playing a joke on me. The vague idea of tribulations from xianxia didn't seem so vague anymore.

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A/N: I hope this gives a clear depiction of how things are now for Tian and for Hestia. From now on, there's going to be the exploration of powers Tian knows really nothing about, dungeon, and all of that. More characters will appear as I think I did a decent enough job presenting those Tian has already met.

For those that are being retarded in the comments, I don't really care about your opinion, and nobody with a brain does either. But for those that aren't too interested in long character development and just want cultivator amazing bullshit, let the chapters pile up to chapter 20, that's when the action starts to pick up, so you can read it all and be satisfied.