Ahh... the chirping of birds, the crunch of leaves beneath his feet.
Once again, Gin Hvergel was walking alone in the forest.
Most people would grimace at the thought of coming here without a companion.
But for a guy like Gin—who lived here—it was no different than a stroll through the marketplace.
He knew all the trails by heart, and the occasional monster that showed up was weak enough to not be a problem.
That didn't mean he was strong. Monsters on the surface were chumps compared to the ones in the dungeon. If he ended up down there, he knew he'd be left half-dead at best.
Without a Falna—a blessing from the gods—challenging the dungeon was suicide. And a Falna-less guy like him had no business trying his luck playing adventurer.
He navigated through the trees and brush, killing his footsteps now that his destination was close. As he drew near, he noticed it...
The buzzing of honey bees. Look and behold—a sizable would-be snack was right within his reach.
"Hi, honey." Gin laughed at his own pun.
'No, get it together.'
He started a small fire and lit a gathered branch, maintaining the flames to produce plenty of smoke without burning up the wood.
He lay down, waited for the bees to buzz off, then grabbed the large honeycomb. He broke off a piece and munched on it as he walked away.
Life was good, huh?
"Sweet, sweet nectar..."
This was only the first of his many targets, though. Wild mushrooms, berries, fruits, nuts, some roots, and tubers—all on the foraging list.
If he finished before nightfall, maybe he could try catching some fish, eels, or crayfish.
No, turkeys or pheasants would be better... But thinking about the amount of meat? Maybe he should aim for big game.
A deer, perhaps? Or even a boar?
No, that wasn't enough, was it? A bear... yep, a bear sounded good.
Mind made up, Gin started scanning the dirt for bear tracks.
"Hah... if monsters are edible, I wonder how they'd taste."
As the sun started to set, Gin headed back toward the village, stopping only to check the traps he'd set for small game. He had hoped to catch a rabbit or a pheasant, but it seemed today just wasn't his lucky day.
Well, at least he still had the honeycomb. And the variable amount of food he'd managed to forage.
When he finished his final trap check and started walking home, however, something unusual happened.
A bright light flashed behind him, lighting up the dark forest. He spotted the cause the second he turned around. In the distance, a pillar of light burst skyward—and vanished in an instant.
"A god descended, huh?"
It wasn't rare these days. With the dungeon city of Orario only a few hours away, he'd seen the phenomenon a number of times. It surprised him the first time, sure. But now? The novelty had worn off. The coming of an actual god from heaven felt about as impactful as a double rainbow.
Notable? Yes.
Important? Not really.
He was about to keep walking when something clicked.
His village and Orario lay in the same direction—ahead. That pillar of light just now? It came from behind him. Which meant the god didn't descend in Orario...
But somewhere inside the forest.
The dark forest.
With wild animals and potentially dangerous monsters.
Yeah, that god's toasted!
Why? Normally, a god could curb-stomp anything that came their way. Because, well—they were gods.
But gods who descended to the Lower World played by different rules. They couldn't use their Arcanum—their divine authority—unless they wanted to get recalled to heaven. And if they got hurt enough, they'd be sent back anyway.
So he didn't need to worry about them.
And yet... Gin found himself running toward the pillar's location before he even realized it.
His mind wandered for a moment, but arrived at the obvious conclusion. The reason was so simple his body moved on reflex. It was obvious.
Depending on their personality, a god on the verge of getting sent back... might not care about holding back. And he was in the forest with them.
Knowing his luck, the god was probably a certified psycho—one of those who got kicked out of heaven and crash-landed here like divine garbage.
He valued his life as much as the next guy. If playing the role of a template hero kept him breathing, then sure—he'd act the part.
So now the question was: what was the best way to find this god?
Gin headed toward the place where he saw the flash, running as fast as he could. He was a hunter, and moving on the forest ground posed no challenge to him.
If there was no immediate problem with the god, they shouldn't be far. If there was a problem, there would be signs. The noise, the smell, or even the feel in the air would change once the god decided to fuck all and release their divinity. He prayed to that god they wouldn't resort to that.
He concentrated, not letting any noise pass him by. It was an easy task, he realized, as he saw the source of his problem—the goddess, as she turned out—rushing toward him about twenty yards away, four goblins hot in pursuit.
Lucky for him, the goddess turned out to be a non-psychopath. He didn't know if she could keep outrunning the goblins, however.
He needed to help her. What was the best approach for this?
It was only about twenty yards.
By no means an impossible range for his bow. He might miss some shots, but reducing their number—even by one—was good enough.
His shots flew true. Three goblins fell, an arrow piercing their heads and hearts. The remaining one noticed its brethren's demise and took cover behind a tree before Gin's last arrow could pierce its body.
The goddess noticed his presence and made her way toward him.
He didn't bother to meet her halfway.
An arrow was nocked, in case the goblin decided to YOLO and take the chance to attack again.
"Stay behind me. There's still one left," he told her as she stood behind his back. "I won't let that goblin get away."
'Damn. I look pretty cool right now,' Gin thought.
Keeping the arrow nocked was tiring work though. Yes, he was an archer. Keep cool and the chance would come.
Wait and hope.
A few moments passed as he stood at an awkward standstill with a goblin, of all things. This was getting boring. He might need to pee soon as well.
"Uhm, miss? Lady?" He addressed his silent companion. "Mind throwing a rock near it or something? My finger's getting kinda numb."
"…Sure."
She picked up a nearby rock and got into a throwing stance.
Oh, she looks kinda cool.
"O' child of earth, born from earth and thrive from earth, take flight from my hand and smite my enemy."
Nani?
"Rock Throw!"
The named move did what its name described. The rock was thrown. Wowzers. It flew in a small parabola and landed in a bush near the tree where the goblin hid.
In a split second, the goblin darted away from the tree, in the opposite direction of the stone.
With reflexes ingrained in him, Gin let his finger relax—and a moment later, he watched the goblin fade away, leaving a magic stone the size of its (probably) small brain.
How the hell did that work?
...
With the crisis averted, he turned around and took in the goddess.
She looked like a small girl, with weird hair color and questionable clothing choices—but the faint sensation crawling up his skin was undeniable.
She was a bonafide, honest-to-god goddess!
"Well, that was that. You have some bad luck getting chased by those monsters right off the bat." Gin checked her for injuries and noticed she had decided to descend with one bare foot for some reason.
Heaven's fashion is dumb.
"Are you okay? Did they land a hit or something?"
"Umu, I am unhurt. I am the dead, the dark, and the silence. Trials from the dungeon pose me no harm."
He was sure she had been hit in the head and didn't realize it, but he decided to shut up.
"Anyway, it's a good thing I'm here with you. You can rest easy and leave the rest to me." Gin gave her an easy smile. "I live nearby. Let's stop there first so I can rest and unpack my hunt. Then later I'll take you to the city."
"Umu, I am eternally grateful. Your soul shall be well taken care of when your fate expires."
"...Thanks?" He figured she meant that in a good way. "I'm sure my soul will be happy to be taken care of by a goddess of your... beauty?"
"Umu. Leave it to me. When the time comes, I'll be by your side as you fall down to the abyss."
She smiled at him... reassuring?
...
The trek down to the village was uneventful.
By the time they entered his small hut, night had fallen. It was too risky to head to Orario right now, so he decided to make the trip in the morning.
The goddess sat on his dining chair, looking expectant as Gin prepared dinner over the hearth. He paid her no mind. This was dinner—the best meal of the day—and he'd be damned if he messed it up just because some goddess was staring at him like a creep.
He set the table, placing down wild game burgers, vegetable soup, and mashed potatoes.
Gin was on his second helping of potatoes when he noticed she was still staring at him.
"Eh... goddess? Miss? Please start eating." He motioned to the dishes before them. "I made this for you too, so please eat with me."
Stop staring at me was left unsaid.
She nodded and began eating the food.
After the first bite, her interest in him seemed to wane, replaced with the need to stuff herself with delicious burgers. Food did solve most of his problems.
After a while, she stopped eating—full—and went back to staring at him.
Okay, this was just creepy.
But Gin wasn't one to shy away from a challenge.
He faced her and stared back. Unblinking. He would not lose to this goddess. He would not blink before she did.
Okay, his eyes were starting to burn.
He needed a stratagem to trip her up!
"You like what you see?" Wink. Wink.
"I do."
Oh shit.
Gin blinked at that. He blushed. A hard blush.
"Y-you too." Dammit, he stuttered. He was disgusted at his own weakness.
He brought dishonor to his lineage!
She just seemed confused by that response.
"I mean, I'd like to see you too."
Two could play this game.
Please blink.
Losing at this was eating at his mind.
"I find you physically attractive—I mean, just like you do to me. I mean, like you find me charming."
"I find you physically attractive?" Wait. Why did she sound so unsure?
"Yes? I mean, you implied that before."
Alright, now he was getting confused too.
"Okay, let's make this clear. Do you like my face?"
"I am not sure."
"Okay. Do I look better than the goblins before?"
"Yes."
"So you do find me attractive!" He pointed at her with an accusing finger.
"I suppose?"
He would take this as a resounding victory.
"Give me a minute." Gin stepped into his bedroom.
Okay, he needed to set the mood right.
Bed — check.
Flowers — lavender for the anti-mosquito effect. Great, check.
His body odor? Disgusting. No check.
"Give me ten more minutes!" he shouted as he mixed flower petals in hot water, dabbing the mixture across his body with a towel, taking extra care with his Balmung.
Okay, everything was set.
His body was ready.
His Balmung was ready!
"You can come in now!"
As the goddess stepped inside, she looked at Gin lying on his side, wearing the most charming smile he could muster.
"You're naked."
"I am. My body is ready, goddess."
"Good. Please lie down and surrender your body to my will."
Gladly.
She was still clothed, but clothed was better than full nude, so that was another win for him. She stepped onto the bed, her bare foot leaving a teasing touch across his back as he lay face down.
"You have a strong body for a mortal with no blessing."
So she was attracted to his body too, not just his face. Great. He felt her appreciation as her fingers danced across his back.
A strange feeling surged from deep inside him. This was different from usual—but he had only ever done this alone. Maybe doing it with a partner was supposed to be like this?
"I-I'm close. You're good at this, my goddess!"
"Umu, feel reborn with my blessing, my champion."
"Yes! Yes! I am reborn!" He felt a surge and then it erupted all across his body. "I am coming!"
Okay, that just happened.
He came from nothing but caresses on his back!
Embarrassing—if it didn't feel so damn good. Sex might be the second best thing after an all-you-can-eat buffet.
"That was great."
"Umu, you did well, my champion. With this, you will take the first step toward our familia legend."
…
"What?"
...
Time never waits.
It delivers everyone to the same end.
For Gin, he hoped that end was the close of his life—and not a climax.
But with regrets came clarity of mind, and he knew what he had to do.
"Thank you, my goddess." Gin smiled, forcing his tears down with sheer willpower.
He didn't say anything more, knowing it would be seen through—and leave him feeling dead inside.
"I will remember this day for the rest of my life."
He would. There was no chance in hell he would ever forget this. This memory would follow him to the grave.
"I see." She smiled—a soft, gentle smile that left him feeling even more devastated.
If she called him cute, he was confident he would turn himself into the past tense.
"Now rest, my champion. We have a long day ahead."
"Yeah, rest sounds good."
He couldn't see it, but he knew the status—the proof of Falna—was engraved on his back.
He ignored it and went to sleep, hoping this was just a dream brought on by a near-death experience from bad seafood.
At least that way, he would die with some dignity!
-------
[ STATUS ]
NAME : Gin Hvergel
RACE : Human
AGE : 14
LEVEL : 1
STR : I – 0
END : I – 0
DEX : I – 0
AGI : I – 0
MAG : I – 0
[ MAGIC ]
[ Ginnungagap ]
Effect: Inflicts a curse upon enemies, reducing their overall stats.
Chant: "O' evil descend, Reminds the Mighty of their burden, and the Weak of their powerlessness. Empty unanswered prayer is their only salvation from despair. Yet none shall escape my grasp for I am beloved by hell! Ginnungagap!"
[ Empty ]
Effect: —
Chant: —
[ Empty ]
Effect: —
Chant: —
[ SKILLS ]
[ Niflheim ]
Effect: Words of Power. Provides a secondary effect of minor resistance against mental debuffs.