After seeing the system announcement, Ptah began to feel a slight headache as he assimilated the basic information about how alchemy works. This information included formulas for making simple potions using magic stones and other ingredients as mediums. However, to carry out these practices, he also needed the proper tools.
He spent a moment in silence, processing all the new information. Then, Ptah observed Saly's tattoo on her back with satisfaction. Despite recent difficulties, he now had the first member of his Familia. Saly, for her part, seemed calmer and more serene after the ritual, a notable difference from her previous state.
"How do you feel?" Ptah asked cautiously, leaning slightly toward her.
Saly looked up; her eyes were still a bit wet and red from crying, but there was a new determination in them. "I feel... different. Like something inside me has strengthened."
Ptah nodded, pleased with her response. "Good. Now that you are the first member of my Familia, we must work hard to grow. But first, check your status." Ptah said with a smile as he handed her the paper with her status before sitting down next to her.
Saly nodded silently, but an idea suddenly crossed her mind. "Wait... What do you mean by 'first member'? Am I the only member?"
"For now, yes," Ptah admitted frankly. "But my plan is to recruit more members so that together we can prosper in Orario."
A small smile formed on Saly's lips, one that Ptah hadn't seen since he found her. "So... am I special?" she asked timidly.
Ptah returned the smile, tilting his head slightly in a kind gesture. "Of course you are. You're the first to join my Familia. That makes you very important."
After that brief conversation, both turned their attention to the status sheet, and what appeared surprised them both. Ptah had already seen her status when granting the falna, but at that moment, the magic hadn't appeared yet.
Saly Resat
Lv. 1
Strength: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Magic
Bloodthirsty Rune: Creates a temporary magical rune and imprints it on a weapon, enhancing its offensive properties and granting a bleeding effect to attacks. The magic adapts to the weapon type, improving specific aspects according to its design and function. As the weapon cuts, pierces, or strikes, it diminishes the effects of any type of magical or natural healing on the inflicted wounds for a time.
Chant: "Intensify, reinforce, sharpen, aggravate, and help me annihilate my enemies."
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Skills
Frenzied Impulse: Amplifies the user's most intense emotion at the time of activation, and depending on the emotion, their strength, agility, and speed will increase or decrease depending on its intensity. However, this also increases physical and mental fatigue. In this state, the user loses the ability to reason clearly and makes decisions based solely on the dominant emotion. Active Trigger.
"Wow, you're very impressive," Ptah remarked joyfully upon seeing Saly's magic and skill.
Although the magic was granted by the system, the fact that Saly possessed both magic and a skill upon receiving the falna was a clear indication that her growth would be remarkable, something that would be very beneficial for both of them.
Saly, however, didn't feel as surprised. Despite growing up in Orario, her interaction with adventurers and knowledge about them was limited. She only knew that someone with a falna was stronger and that this gap in strength widened with each level difference. Even so, she was pleased by Ptah's compliment; aside from her brother, no one had ever told her she was amazing. In fact, they usually considered her clumsy.
"Thank you very much," she murmured with mixed feelings.
Hearing her, Ptah leaned back in the chair where he had been sitting and said to Saly, "Let's wait until this whole situation in Orario is resolved. By the way..." Ptah scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, before asking, "By any chance, can't you change your clothes?"
Hearing Ptah's words, Saly felt a bit embarrassed. She had forgotten that she still had a large amount of blood on her dress, her body, and her hair.
Saly nodded, ashamed of her current appearance. "Yes, let me go change." She got up from the bed and headed to a small room at the back of the house, looking for clean clothes.
Ptah was left alone, reflecting on recent events. It had been an impulsive decision to accept Saly as the first member of his Familia, but he couldn't regret it. The girl clearly needed him at that critical moment.
Some explosions and the sound of battle could still be heard. However, they weren't happening too close to where Ptah and Saly were, which was a relief for him.
Suddenly, a new system message appeared:
[New missions generated. Select one of the following missions or reject them all to wait for the next random mission opportunity.]
-Send Saly to face the Evilus attackers to defend Orario.
-Register the Familia officially at the Adventurer's Guild.
-Send Saly to join the chaos and attack innocent people.
-Gather materials to practice your alchemy knowledge.
Just seeing the missions made Ptah frown.
I thought the system would give me missions in a linear fashion, like expanding my Familia. That's why I didn't expect a mission to appear that involved attacking innocent people. Only now do I understand what the system meant when it said that the selection of the god doesn't affect the missions themselves, only the rewards. It's likely that the missions are generated according to my environment.
"System, aren't you going to tell me the rewards for each mission?" Ptah asked.
[The system cannot reveal the rewards for any of the options in the random mission selection opportunity.]
"Do harder missions grant better rewards?"
[Yes and no. Upon completing a mission, you will always receive a fixed reward. However, additional rewards depend on the process of completing it. A difficult mission may offer a better base reward, but if the process is unsatisfactory, the extra rewards will also be limited. For example, in the mission to Recruit the first member: if you had recruited a talent on the level of Aiz, Finn, Ottar, or Bell, the reward would have been extraordinary, such as guaranteed magic grimoires that could grant a third magic to someone with two magics, or potions that increase a stat by a fixed amount, even if S999 had already been reached in any stat. But if you had recruited someone with less talent and mediocre ambition, the reward would be much lower compared to what you received previously. However, there are fixed additional rewards that will maintain a similar value, albeit with slight variations.]
Ptah regretted being so hasty, but after thinking about it, he realized it was impossible to meet someone with that level of talent in such a short time. So he stopped worrying and selected the second mission. After all, he didn't want to send Saly, who didn't even have combat or adventurer experience, to face psychopaths specialized in killing adventurers. He didn't even consider the third option, and he didn't have enough money to complete the fourth or a group of adventurers to gather the materials. He opted for the option he believed was the most optimal and quickest to complete.
[Register the Familia officially at the Adventurer's Guild: As a god who has arrived in Orario, you must officially register your Familia at the Adventurer's Guild.
Guaranteed reward: 100,000 valis for the Familia's initial expenses.
Additional reward: The reward will depend on the chosen focus when registering.]
Ptah read the rewards and felt immediate relief. This mission would solve several of his urgent financial problems. It would also allow him to buy materials to make potions and sell them, avoiding dependence on others until his Familia was fully self-sufficient.
At that moment, Saly returned to the room, dressed in clean clothes and with her hair damp, apparently after taking a quick bath. What surprised Ptah was that he now clearly recognized her: she was the same girl who had almost kicked him upon arrival. He identified her by her blue hair and green eyes. Earlier, he hadn't been able to recognize her well due to the blood that stained her hair and face, and the clothes she wore were completely covered in blood.
"Saly, when things calm down, we will both register at the guild," Ptah said with a smile. He didn't hold a grudge for such a small incident.
She nodded at what he said, and they both waited until the next day because the sound of fights and chaos still echoed through much of the city.