After Su Mo arrived at the dungeon and began harvesting magic stones in the deeper layers with Ais, Hestia had already made her way to the Denatus hall. Although she had resolved to choose a good title for Su Mo, the entire walk there was spent struggling to come up with any decent ideas.
Should she really go with Su Mo's suggestion—stay silent, act like a master, and carry around a sword while striking a cool pose? No way that would work!
Even if it might impress someone, with her current build, she probably couldn't even beat the guards stationed at the entrance. Not to mention weapons weren't even allowed inside. As she fretted over what to do, a sharp slap landed on her shoulder.
"Hey, shorty!" She didn't even need to turn around. Just the voice alone was enough for Hestia to know who it was.
Her old nemesis—the goddess Loki of the Loki Familia.
"What brings you all the way to the Denatus, huh?" Loki looked at her with exaggerated curiosity. "Didn't Hephaestus throw you out? I heard you've been begging for scraps lately."
"Oh, I got it! You're here to mooch some free food, aren't you? You couldn't afford to feed yourself anymore, so you ran over to the Denatus to freeload!" convinced she had hit the nail on the head, Loki burst into laughter, practically in tears.
"Bwahahaha! You're too pitiful, shorty! Want to come live with me? I mean, I don't like you much, but we're both gods. I won't let you starve."
"As long as you apologize properly right now and say, 'Goddess Loki, I was wrong,' I'll even treat you to lunch!" Despite their constant bickering, Loki did keep tabs on Hestia's situation. She hadn't had much time lately due to her Familia preparing for an expedition, so she hadn't followed up. All she knew was that Hestia had been kicked out by Hephaestus.
Seeing her here today was unexpected—and of course, she wouldn't miss a chance to poke fun at her rival. Still, despite the harsh words, her offer was sincere. Hestia's brand of purity was rare among gods, and while Loki often squabbled with her, she didn't actually wish for her to suffer. Too bad Hestia didn't catch on to the hidden goodwill. Hearing the mockery, her eyes flared with anger.
"Loki, you flat-chested twig! What the hell are you talking about!?"
"I didn't come here for free food!" Though she declared it boldly, her tone wasn't entirely confident.
Back when Hephaestus had thrown her out—and before Su Mo joined her Familia—she had considered sneaking into the Denatus for free meals. After all, any god was allowed to attend, and the food there was excellent. But her pride ultimately stopped her. Well… that, and the fact that the fried potato ball stall had taken pity on her and hired her as staff.
Hestia had never been one for material desires, so that small income was enough for her to get by. And later, Su Mo's arrival as her child had completely resolved her survival issues, rapidly elevating her standard of living.
"Oh?" Loki narrowed her eyes, intrigued by Hestia's confident posture. "If you're not here to freeload, then what are you doing here?"
"You don't have a Familia. You're not here for title registration either." At that, Hestia smirked and puffed out her chest proudly.
"Who says I don't have a Familia?"
"I have a wonderful child now!"
Hands on her hips, the blue-ribbon goddess beamed. Her white, jelly-like assets bounced dramatically, sparking a competitive flame in the flat-chested Loki.
—This little brat is mocking me!
"Hah! Didn't know you'd stoop to lying, Hestia!" Loki scoffed, completely unconvinced.
"You? With no resources, no money, no house—how could anyone possibly join your Familia?" Being an adventurer was anything but romantic. It was a brutal life. That's why major Familias like Loki's were in such high demand—not just for their reputation, but for their internal resources, support systems, and experienced mentors.
Just like job-hunting in the modern world: if you couldn't get into a top company, at least aim for a decent mid-sized firm. But Hestia's group? That was the equivalent of some startup with nothing but a paper license and no office space. A bottom-tier Familia if there ever was one. How could anyone possibly choose that? As she spoke, Loki glanced at Hestia's indecently jiggling slime—or rather, her exaggerated chest—with a suspicious look.
"Hestia... don't tell me you recruited a child using that indecent body of yours?"
"You really shouldn't go down that path. Freya's way isn't something that's easy to imitate." Loki, suspicious that Hestia was starting to stray from the righteous path, offered some well-meaning advice.
Sure, Hestia was undeniably adorable. But when compared to someone like Freya, she simply didn't hold the same appeal for most adventurers. She looked way too childlike, after all. And more importantly, Loki genuinely didn't want to see one of Heaven's most famously pure goddesses fall to that level. But when Hestia heard Loki's words, she nearly exploded on the spot.
"Who the hell said I rely on my body to attract my familia?!"
"My bond with my child is built on love and spiritual resonance! We're a family, soul to soul!"
"And you, you damn flat-chested goddess, don't project your filthy imagination onto my kid!"
After righteously declaring her position, Hestia suddenly remembered Su Mo praising her cuteness before she left the house. Which meant… she did indeed fit his preferences. So maybe Loki's comment wasn't entirely off the mark. And if that's the case—wasn't that a good thing? After all, she was craving Su Mo's body, and if their tastes were aligned, didn't that make them the perfect match? The thought made Hestia break into a silly grin.
Loki, on the other hand, looked surprised.
"Wait... so you really do have a familia now?"
"But just a month ago, Hephaestus kicked you out of her home!"
"And now you're telling me that your newly recruited adventurer reached Level 2 in less than a month?!" Loki was genuinely shocked. That kind of growth speed even surpassed Ais' record. It was on the level of a prodigy.
"Well, of course! My child is the strongest!" Hestia declared proudly.
Though the official report only registered him as Level 2, Hestia was fully aware—Su Mo's current combat ability was likely beyond Level 9. He was the ceiling of Orario.
"Strongest, huh?" Loki chuckled, shaking her head.
"Hestia, your horizons are way too narrow."
"Calling someone at Level 2 the strongest… you're just a frog in a well who doesn't know how vast the world truly is." She recalled a report from a few days ago, one submitted by her own child—a mysterious powerhouse named Su Mo. Someone who soloed a floor boss like Balor that typically required a full party of high-level adventurers and then took Ais deeper into the dungeon than their entire familia had ever dared venture. And that wasn't all. Ais had leveled up to Level 6 after just a single day under Su Mo's guidance.
Even with all that, they couldn't glimpse the true extent of his power. This wasn't something a Level 7 could pull off. At minimum, he had to be Level 8—surpassing Orario's current "strongest," Ottar. Nudging dangerously close to the strength once held by the Zeus and Hera Familias.
Because of all this, Loki had forbidden anyone in her familia from snooping around Su Mo. They couldn't afford to risk offending a powerhouse like him. Especially not when Ais owed him such a huge favor for helping her breakthrough to Level 6. With such a good relationship, there was no need to play any tricks and ruin it.
Before someone like Su Mo, even someone as formidable as Ottar was just the visible peak—while the true summit lay beyond. Even Ottar was a massive threat to the Loki Familia, let alone someone stronger. So, hearing Hestia call her Level 2 newbie "the strongest" just made Loki want to laugh.
"There are always people out there whose strength is beyond your wildest imagination."
"Shorty, you're in way over your head with this 'strongest' talk. Don't go throwing that title around again!"
"Y-You damn woman!" Hearing Loki's seemingly well-intentioned but clearly mocking words, Hestia puffed up her cheeks in anger, wanting to argue back. But according to their plan, Su Mo's strength was supposed to be revealed gradually, at a believable pace. So, Hestia gritted her teeth and held back.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never look down on a goddess just because she's broke!" Hmph! In just a few more months, she'd see that look of shock on Loki's smug face. That's why Hestia chose to endure for now. Hold it in. The day to flex would come soon enough. Seeing Hestia sulk and swallow her anger, Loki was tempted to tease her further. But just then, Denatus began. And Loki fell silent.
She had come to the Denatus with a clear goal in mind. Ais had recently advanced from Level 5 to Level 6. According to the rules, adventurers who leveled up could either retain their old titles or choose a new one.
And while the Loki Familia's influence generally discouraged anyone from interfering, one could never predict what foolishness the other gods might try without someone to keep them in check. That's why Loki had personally come to oversee the naming process.