NOVEL WEB Chapter 8 – Bell’s Status
Chapter 8 - Bell's Status
"Falna" is the power gods give to people in the lower world. It's how their abilities get measured.
As adventurers gain experience, they get stronger, and with enough updates, they can develop unique skills, unlocking new possibilities.
Getting a Falna is a must for any new adventurer. It turns natural talent into stats, showing what they're good at and what skills they might have.
Adventurers with high potential get treated better in their familia, which also means a higher status.
Bell and Hestia were led by Hephaestus to the second floor of her workshop, where she usually worked.
It was the perfect spot to temporarily bestow the Falna, even though Hephaestus wasn't exactly thrilled about Hestia's request.
"Bell, take off your clothes and turn your back to me."
"Alright."
Bell quickly took off his trench coat and burlap shirt, showing his clean back. He turned to face away from Hestia.
Hestia looked at his white back and the faint muscles. "Seems like he's been working out," she thought.
She knew this child was special, coming to Orario from the countryside. She took a breath, grabbed the needle from the table, and pricked her finger to get some blood.
She smeared the blood on Bell's back, and his body soaked it in like it was nothing. This ritual completed the process, letting him get the gods' grace.
The blood seeped into Bell's back, forming the unique tattoo of Hestia Familia.
Bell, now a member of Hestia Familia, had a tattoo of a hearth and flames, symbolizing Hestia, the goddess of the hearth.
Sacred characters popped up around the tattoo, and a blue light shone from Bell's back.
This was Bell Cranel's status.
---
[Name]: Bell Cranel
[Level]: 1
[Basic Abilities]:
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
[Development Ability]: None
[Magic]:
-Spatial Pocket:
-Storage Magic
[Skill]:
-[Mystic Code: Combat Judgement]
---
"What the hell?!"
Seeing this, Hestia couldn't hold back and shouted.
As her first child, Hestia was really concerned about Bell's status.
With magic and skills, she knew Bell would have a better chance of surviving. But since skills and magic are rare, Hestia was ready for him not to have any.
But both showed up at once.
Hephaestus stepped forward, thinking, "This girl's overreacting just because he has skills and magic." But a quick glance explained why Hestia was freaking out.
"Combat Judgement and storage magic… Has Hestia saved the damn world or something?"
Top-tier adventurers often awaken skills that fit their situation after joining a familia.
Adventurers who start off with magic and skills are super talented. Skills and magic come in common and rare forms. And there's no doubt that Hestia's first child has some rare stuff.
"Space magic, even just for storage, is crazy enough. And on top of that, there's another skill. This skill is one of the rarest, 'Combat Judgement.' The name alone shows how valuable it is."
"The skill description doesn't beat around the bush, meaning it probably activates automatically. Skills like this make growth faster and leveling up easier. If this child enters the dungeon, he might outgrow every adventurer before him."
Even Hephaestus, who normally didn't give a damn about her children's strength, felt a twinge of jealousy toward Hestia after realizing how special Bell's skills were.
"If the other gods find out about this child's skills and magic, they're gonna want to steal him."
Hestia has undoubtedly found the best member for her familia. Given enough time, Bell will grow rapidly.
Hephaestus could see that this child was going to make waves. With skills and magic like this, there's no way he'll stay under the radar in Orario. He's going to shake things up.
"Hestia, you'd better be careful. This child's skills and magic are too damn good, and it's gonna be tough to keep him to yourself. If those nosy guys find out, they'll try to take him from you."
"Yeah, I know…"
Hestia, who had been over the moon about finding the perfect familia member, suddenly deflated. She knew Hephaestus was right. If someone targeted her first child, she might not be able to protect him on her own.
"I'll definitely tell Bell to be careful next time."
If his abilities are exposed, it'll create a whole mess. But as long as they stay hidden, things should be fine.
"Does it really matter? The child seems steady enough, but you need to be careful."
Hephaestus wasn't too worried about Bell, who seemed unusually calm. With that kind of attitude at his age, he must have gone through something before; otherwise, he wouldn't be so collected. "Maybe it's got something to do with the child's past," Hephaestus thought.
"The magic isn't the biggest problem, but that skill definitely is. Combat Judgement—this skill has no activation restrictions, and Hestia's child is bound to take a different path."
Hephaestus glanced at Hestia, who couldn't hide her smile and excitement, and sighed.
'This idiot doesn't get it. She really needs to be careful.'
"Don't go talking about the child's status to anyone like an idiot. If his skills get out too early, too many people will be watching him."