Duncan woke from darkness to the same harmless face hovering over him—Bell's.
In just a few days, he'd somehow managed to "make up" for over a decade's worth of fainting all at once. His head still felt heavy, but at least his vision had stopped spinning.
Off to the side of the room, Zeus sat with Zald and the others, clearly in the middle of some discussion. The moment Duncan opened his eyes, the conversation stopped as if someone had cut the string.
"You're awake?" Zeus said, pointing lazily toward Alfia with a grin that was far too pleased. "That woman doesn't know how to read the room. She fired off the Gospel without thinking, and you got clipped by the aftermath."
Duncan glanced at Zeus.
He'd watched Zeus get launched out of the cabin like a rag doll, yet now the old man sat there looking perfectly fine—like nothing had happened. Duncan couldn't tell if it was because Zeus was a god… or because Zeus was simply Zeus.
Alfia didn't even blink.
"It's because his body is too weak," she said flatly. "I controlled it. I aimed it at that disgusting old man. I didn't even break a cup."
Zeus leaned closer to Duncan, inspecting him as if he were a curiosity.
"A human brain isn't a cup," he said, not bothering to hide his irritation. "And he's a child who hasn't even received a Blessing. Stop judging him by adventurer standards."
Then Zeus's eyes narrowed slightly, and his tone shifted.
"Still… this was a bit of a lucky accident."
"What do you mean?" Duncan asked, a bad feeling rising in his gut.
"This kid's body was tampered with by another god," Zeus said casually, as though describing a stain on clothing. "It activates when his life takes a hit. Your little 'Gospel wave' tricked his brain into registering real danger—so it flinched."
He tapped his own temple.
"And when it flinched… it exposed itself."
Duncan's face turned ugly. He stared at Zeus, anger and helplessness mixing into something bitter.
Zeus blinked, then added as if remembering after the fact:
"Oh, right. I told them about you."
Duncan's blood ran cold.
"Relax," Zeus said, completely unrepentant. "Their mouths are tighter than vault doors. They won't blab."
The "apology" had no apology in it at all.
Duncan clenched his fists, silently deciding that from now on, anything truly important would never go through Zeus first.
Zald's deep voice carried a trace of curiosity.
"So… something changed?"
"No idea," Zeus said with a roll of his eyes. "Ask him. I'm not Freya—I can't charm information out of people."
Duncan hesitated, then spoke slowly.
"It's… like an information panel."
A game-like interface hung in his vision. Every time he looked at Zeus, Zald, or Alfia, a "profile page" seemed to exist—something he could open or close with a thought.
He didn't mention the "shop" message.
The "Dungeon Commerce" prompt was still there in some form, but the page was gray and unusable—everything locked, everything unavailable. Still, it felt safer to keep it to himself.
"You can see people's information?" Zald's posture sharpened instantly.
For an adventurer, the difference between life and death often came down to information. If Duncan truly had a skill that could reveal details about opponents or allies, it would be the kind of support ability adventurers dreamed of.
But Duncan shook his head.
"It seems limited to what I already know," he admitted. "For you, it basically just shows your name."
Zald's excitement cooled a notch. If it only reflected Duncan's existing knowledge, the ability was far less "broken" than it sounded—though still useful in its own way.
Zeus's face remained unreadable.
After a short silence, he turned to Bell with exaggerated warmth.
"Bell," Zeus said gently, "can you boil some hot water for Duncan?"
"Okay~" Bell chirped.
Completely unaware that he was being sent away on purpose, Bell trotted out of the room.
Once the footsteps faded, Zeus's expression hardened, and he looked straight at Duncan.
"Kid," he said, "do you want to join my Familia?"
Duncan froze.
Zald's voice cut in immediately. "Old man—!"
"And if the Guild finds out," Zald continued, tone grim, "they'll come after you."
Even Alfia spoke, sharp and direct. "They'll hold you responsible."
Zeus waved them off with a snort.
"I know it breaks the old agreement," he said, "but this kid's 'trace' has already been exposed. If we don't cover it with another god's mark, any god with sharp eyes will notice something's off."
His gaze sharpened, serious in a way Duncan hadn't seen often.
"'Outsider from another world'—that's a label that would entertain the so-called fun-seekers for a very long time. And right now, I can't find you a trustworthy god quickly enough."
He leaned forward.
"So the safest option is you joining mine."
"As for the Guild," Zeus added contemptuously, "they only restrict me and my Familia from going in and out of Orario. If you have strength, their rules are just noise."
He flicked a hand.
"Worst case, you find a reliable god later and convert. Simple."
Zald looked visibly pained.
"Converting a Familia isn't—" he started, then stopped, jaw tight.
For someone raised inside a Familia, conversion was a grave matter. Even with a god's approval and the person's consent, many who converted were branded traitors and hunted by their former Familia. Zeus Familia wouldn't do that—but the idea still scraped raw against Zald's values, especially after seeing his own Familia reduced to ashes.
Zeus sneered.
"You've been through everything you've been through," he said, "and you still cling to that kind of 'small' seriousness?"
He didn't argue further.
He simply looked at Duncan and waited.
Duncan answered without hesitation.
"Please let me join."
Zeus's grin returned—satisfied, almost proud.
In the past, even high-level adventurers had to pass layers of trials to enter Zeus Familia. That glory was long gone, but if some kid joined and still acted reluctant, Zeus—and likely Zald and Alfia as well—wouldn't bother hiding their displeasure.
But Duncan's decision had nothing to do with pride.
Zeus was right.
This world was far more dangerous than Earth. Wild beasts, monsters, the Dark Faction—threats everywhere. Without power, even basic movement became a risk. Without a god's Blessing, he was a fragile child in a brutal world.
"Then we do it now," Zeus said quickly. "While Bell's gone. Take off your clothes."
No ceremony. No grand ritual.
Zeus pricked his finger and let blood drip onto Duncan's back. He moved through a set of practiced motions—swift, precise. A faint glow bloomed across Duncan's skin, and black lines and letters appeared, forming an intricate pattern.
When the light faded, Zeus peeled a sheet of paper from Duncan's back and stared at it, face oddly complex—like something had hit him harder than he wanted to admit.
Zald stepped closer. "Old man… is it unusual?"
Alfia didn't move, but her gaze sharpened as well.
Zeus didn't answer.
He tossed the paper to Zald.
The contents were simple: the Zeus Familia crest, Duncan's name, his level.
Lv.1.
Below that, as expected, every stat was zero. Magic: empty.
What caught Zald's attention was the Skills section.
Plenty of children gained skills when they joined a Familia. Alfia herself had been born with them. Zeus had seen it all.
So for Zeus to look like that—
The skill had to be strange.
Zald read aloud, slowly.
Outworld Walker:
A being whose soul and body belong to a world where Ability Values and Experience cannot be fully manifested. Greatly corrected toward Ability Values and Experience. The correction increases with growth and adventure.
Then the second line.
Lucky One?:
The god-chosen among countless worlds. Immune to the Authorities of other gods.
Zald frowned hard. "I get what 'Outworld Walker' implies. But what is this 'Lucky One'? And why the question mark?"
Zeus lifted his head and stared at the ceiling, eyes sharpening—so sharp it felt like he was trying to pierce the roof and look straight into the sky above.
"In countless worlds," he murmured, "there are more ground-dwellers than you can count. The fact that a god noticed him at all… does qualify as 'lucky.'"
His voice turned colder.
"But gods aren't kind by nature. Who knows whether that 'luck' is blessing or curse."
Then he exhaled.
"Still—if the description is accurate, then the 'abilities' of other gods… probably won't work on you anymore."
-------
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