Chapter 20

SHALLTEAR POV, MORNING, 2 DAYS UNTIL THE ATTACK ON SOMA FAMILIA:

After gathering a delightful assortment of fruits from the forest, Lili and Shalltear settled down in Rivira to enjoy their breakfast. Perched upon a natural stone formation, the two sat comfortably, their feet dangling above the ground. The centerpiece was a large crystal, emitting a gentle luminescence that added to the serene atmosphere.

Their bags lay open beside them, Shalltear's bag revealing a colorful array of fruits. With deft fingers, they plucked the ripest selections, savoring the flavors as they indulged in this simple yet satisfying meal.

As they nibbled on the succulent fruits, the silver-haired female's voice broke the tranquil moment. "Lili, after this, would it be okay to head back home? There is something I want to explain."

Lili looked at Shalltear, her curiosity piqued. "Sure, what is it?" she inquired.

The silver-haired female paused for a moment before continuing, her tone carrying a weight of significance. "It is about the conversion to my Familia," she revealed, allowing the words to hang in the air.

o-O-o

Back in the cozy confines of the tree house, both settled on the bed, their legs crossed as they faced each other. The soft light from the magic-stone lamps created an intimate ambiance.

"Lili, I told you that I am not exactly a goddess, I am different. Therefore, my Falna operates differently from the norm," Shalltear began to explain.

Lili listened attentively, her eyes focused on the silver-haired female.

"The first thing to know is that gods and goddesses typically use the Excelia of their children to update their status, right?" Shalltear posed the question.

The chestnut-haired girl nodded in affirmation, showing her understanding.

"Well, I cannot see it, sooo... I cannot update a Status that way… But! I don't need to! Because my Falna's Status and the Total Levels update on their own, I only help in selecting magic spells, developmental abilities, and skills," she clarified.

Lili's face displayed thoughtful contemplation. "..Lili had heard that some goddesses didn't select abilities or skills, so for Lady Shalltear it is the opposite then?..." she mused, her hand resting gently on her chin.

"Also, regarding the Total Levels, it is different from what you understand as Level, that is instead called Rank, like the gods label it" Shalltear explained, her hands gesturing in a way that indicated a separation of these concepts. She was delving into the intricacies of the Falna system, which had been integrated with YGGDRASIL's framework, and the difference in their mechanics.

Lili, although a bit unsure of the complex details, nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay..."

"Moving on, since I don't technically elevate your level, there are some aspects of a normal Falna that you won't gain in the same way," the silver-haired female continued. Her tone carried a sense of openness and honesty,

"The first distinction is that my Falna won't slow down your aging process, as it doesn't influence your spiritual container, your soul," Shalltear explained, one finger raised to emphasize the point.

The chestnut-haired girl responded with a cheerful smile, dismissing the concern. "Not a problem, Lili is still young!".

Shalltear proceeded to the next point. "The second difference is that you won't be able to sense the pressure and gauge the size of a person's spiritual container for their Status, as all high-class adventurers can," she elaborated, her hand now displaying two fingers.

Lili pondered, unsure if that would be a problem, as most high-level adventurers were already well-known.

"The third point is that my Falna won't drastically enhance your senses, like improving eyesight or hearing beyond what you already possess, nor grant you the ability to hold your breath for extended periods," she continued.

The dog-girl responded with a calm smile. "Lili is a Pallum, so Lili has excellent sight and can see in the dark. It would not be needed," she shared, though a hint of sadness at being a Pallum lingered beneath her cheerful facade

"The fourth point, though it pertains more to me than to you, is that I won't be able to sense you and your actions through the divine ichor," Shalltear continued her explanation.

"What?! The gods can do that?!" The dog-girl exclaimed, her surprise evident.

"Yes, though it's not commonly discussed, only in emergencies. They can feel even every breath you take, but they need to really focus to do that, and it depends on the number of Falna contracts they gave. For smaller familias it is easy, but for big ones like Hephaistos it is really difficult for her to do so." Shalltear explained.

Lili's mind immediately connected the dots. "Then Lord Soma..."

"Would he care to focus on you? It's not an automatic process." Shalltear clarified.

Lili shook her head, dispelling her concerns. "...No...So it is not something of concern."

"Specifically, the first ichor a child receives never entirely dissipates, even after conversion. As a result, the first and last god can still sense that ichor. Gods of smaller familias often use this ability to check on their children while in the dungeon and post rescue quests if they detect that something bad happened," the silver-haired female added, revealing another layer to the divine system.

And that is another reason why I need to kill Soma... Otherwise if left alive he would spy on Lili, as he did on canon, and therefore on our familia.

Shalltear moved on to the fifth point. "The fifth aspect is that you won't be able to employ the strength of your spiritual container to overcome attacks from weaker monsters," she explained, referencing how high-level adventurers could wield their very soul to shrug off monster attacks.

The chestnut-haired girl contemplated this, her brow slightly furrowed. "...That is a little concerning... But it is mostly for non-physical attacks like roars and some status effects...," she reasoned aloud.

Even if Lili were to gain significant levels and become strong, unless the classes and skills she takes gave extra protection, she would still feel fear by a roar from a measy level two minotaur.

Shalltear reassured her with a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Lili. We'll figure out how to manage it together."

The dog-girl's face brightened, a genuine smile spreading across her lips. "Thank you, Lili thinks that it will be okay,".

"The final point is that you cannot attain divinity; you cannot ascend to godhood," the silver-haired female concluded.

Lili blinked twice in disbelief, "Sorry, but can Lady Shalltear repeat? Lili thinks she misheard."

The silver-haired female repeated herself, her tone unwavering. "Yes, the sixth point is that you cannot reach divinity, you cannot ascend to godhood, you cannot become a goddess."

Lili's confusion escalated rapidly. "Huh?... Huh?!... HUUUUH?!! What does Lady Shalltear mean by 'become a goddess'? How could that even happen?" she exclaimed in a mix of shock and bewilderment.

"It's called Apotheosis, the ascension of a mortal to godhood. Lili, the gods don't refer to it as 'leveling up,' but 'ranking up' when conversing among themselves. So, what are you ranking up against? What are you competing to achieve?" Shalltear calmly explained.

Lili's mind was racing, trying to process this revelation. "Hold up, hold up, hold up...! Is Lady Shalltear implying that the purpose of the Falna is to elevate mortals into gods?!" her voice trembled as she struggled to grasp the enormity of the concept. Shalltear was dropping these profound secrets as if they were confetti at a celebration.

In this universe, the gods could not have children, so the only way people knew that a new god could appear was by descending from the heavens. The idea of ascending to godhood wasn't even within the realm of imagination for the inhabitants of this universe. It wasn't even a secret that leveling up brings a mortal closer to godhood, the Gods, like Hestia for instance, would openly confirm this if asked. Even the Guild advisors, Eina in particular, knew that the Falna did more than it was normally advertised and at least shaped your soul.

Which put the Dungeon in perspective: How big is the secret of the Dungeon's true nature for the gods to not tell anything, not even the slightest detail, even if their most beloved Familia member asked about it? What profound secret were the gods hiding?

"That's why you need to achieve remarkable feats that impress the gods to rank up. Because at the end of that path you will stand by their side. They wouldn't accept anyone who hadn't proven their worth," Shalltear elucidated.

"...But...how?..." Lili's voice trembled with a mix of confusion and frustration. The concept was so alien to her, lacking any point of reference for comparison.

Shalltear started to explain, that there is more than one way to rank up, but in general, it occurred when an adventurer possessing some high-level excelia acquired more normal excelia than their spiritual container could hold. On each rank up the container becomes much bigger, and it enters the next phase.

The Falna carves your soul from the inside. If you think of your body as a vessel, the Status strengthens the vessel and Skills give it special properties, therefore defining the type of god you become. This is the one process that existed for surpassing the limits that had been placed on your body and moving to a higher realm—The spiritual container's sublimation.

This process starts at Level 2, on your first rank up, and in each phase it strengthens the ability of your soul to affect the world around it until eventually, you can use your soul in the same way the gods can—in this moment it becomes Aura—which can go into overdrive to allow them to use Arcanum, their divine power, as it was the requirement to do so.

As Lili listened, she unconsciously placed her hand over her heart, the expression on her face shifting to one of deep distress. Finally, she voiced her concerns, her voice tinged with worry, "Wh-what are the gods doing to our souls? What's their real objective? Weren't they supposed to have descended because they were bored in the heavens and seeking entertainment?"

The revelation was profoundly unsettling, shaking the core of Lili's beliefs. It brought to the forefront all the questions she had harbored for years but had never received answers to, the most prominent of them: WHY?

So Shalltear explained, among the gods and goddesses that descended, twenty percent were inflexible, as Ares, ten percent were moderates, like Hestia, and the other seventy wanted to stir up trouble to entertain themselves.

In fact, the first descent of the gods was over Orario after the One-Eyed Black Dragon was driven away. When the first gods came down, the Babel tower was destroyed. They came down like shooting stars and hit the tower—those gods completely destroyed the finished tower and laughed at the crying faces of the ancient people of Orario.

Could you imagine having fought without a Falna and lost so many lives against the black dragon of the apocalypse that was trying to destroy Babel to open the lid of the Dungeon, and against all predictions, succeeded in driving it away—only for assholes coming from the heavens to destroy it?

Could you imagine the citizens' faces, mouths half open, tears rolling down their cheeks, as well as the cackling gods trying to apologize for something that they did on purpose?

The reality was that very few deities in Orario actually acted the part. This was because their life on Gekai was nothing more than a game to them.

A game. For the gods, descending to the lower realm is just a game—a game against their boredom.

The majority of deities' actions in the mortal realm were for amusement or pleasure, but their original stance, their true goal—at least for all but the evil gods who sought destruction and demise—was the birth of a chosen one: a hero.

The authorities of various deities could at times be an aid to their children or else a trial for them to overcome. And those various authorities intermixed and gave birth to chaos, creating the sort of unknown that even deities could not predict. They had collectively hoped that the ones who overcame that unknown would become a hero who achieved the machia that the world so desired.

In other words, the gods decided on this world as the place to intermix their authorities to create the unknown that the hero needed to overcome.

The unknown. The mortal realm's 'unknown' is so complex that even the gods can't predict it. A colossal 'unknown' sleeps within the deepest part of the Dungeon. Like a star shining in the darkness, this 'unknown' draws many fearless adventurers into its depths. The gods and goddesses who came to Gekai looking for entertainment, they came to Orario seeking the 'unknown' even more than the adventurers. That was them to a T.

That is why the one thing that each familia had in common was a constant desire to become stronger and more influential. Living on Gekai was a game to the gods, so it went without saying they were very competitive because nearly every god had high hopes that one of the children they'd bestowed their blessing upon would eventually become a hero in this game.

But for the mortals, this was no game, this was their reality, the only thing they knew and had, and the gods were doing whatever they pleased with it.

Shalltear wanted to make sure Lili had distrust of the gods, and what better way than to tell Lili the truth? However, there was a problem—it worked too well.

Unknown to Shalltear, it was the beginning of a new concept inside Lili's mind, something completely alien for the people of the mortal realm—it was blasphemy, it was defiance, it was rebellion, it was Apostasy, it was Misotheism, it was Dystheism.

—It was the heroic stance of humanistic affirmation and the courage to defy the powers that rule the universe.

The silver-haired female then began to explain, "The gods have a concept called Katabasis," she started, her tone purposeful. "It's a specific type of hero's journey. The hero ventures into a forbidden and unknown underground realm or dungeon, battling monsters and then returning to the surface, proving to the gods that they are more than mere mortals. Does that ring any bells?"

Lili remained silent, her mind processing the information she was receiving.

"But, Lili, you don't need to impress me to gain strength," Shalltear added with sincerity.

After a contemplative pause, Lili posed a question that had likely lingered in her mind for a long time. "...If we are supposed to journey down to prove ourselves to the gods for the chance at godhood, then... What really is the Dungeon?" Her gaze fixed on Shalltear with a hint of accusation, as if demanding an answer to the big question.