Chapter 31: Xi'er's View of the Cloud Nurturing Cloud Nurturing Panel, Special Training Plan! (Please Follow) (Patreon)

[Hero Cloud-Raising Plan]

What... was this?

In her years in Orario, Syr had met countless Adventurers, but a case like Rozz's was something she'd never encountered before.

It had to be—

something like the "game panels" the gods up in the heavens had mentioned after observing other worlds?

"..."

"So why is this happening?"

[This character is eligible to open the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan]

[Establish a Bond to unlock the Cloud-Raising panel — raise intimacy, issue quests... customize your very own cloud-raised hero.]

Syr couldn't come up with an answer.

But it also triggered the underlying instinct shared by every god in Orario — whenever something "unknown" appeared before them, they couldn't resist exploring it.

What's more,

the color of Rozz's soul alone was a type Syr had never seen before, and combined with the [Hero Cloud-Raising Plan] panel...

her curiosity was completely ablaze.

"Establish a Bond..."

From her earlier conversation with Rozz, one thing was confirmed: he already belonged to another god's Familia.

Could she just poach him outright?

That might not be a bad approach.

[Establishing a Bond requires the other party's consent.]

But just as that thought took root in Syr's mind, her eyes caught a special note in the corner of the translucent screen.

The gray-haired girl abandoned the idea entirely.

Finding something "unknown" in Orario was rare enough; she had no intention of letting her own meddling ruin the fun.

After all, she hadn't even met his god yet.

And as she understood it, a "Bond" wasn't limited to the relationship between a god and a Familia member — becoming close friends, lovers...

or a knight sworn to protect him, or a god quietly lending support from the shadows — all of these seemed to count as Bonds too, didn't they?

"Then..."

"I'll just keep watching for now!"

Syr's thoughts returned to the essence of the translucent panel — Cloud-Raising was probably something like a casual idle simulation game.

All she had to do was occasionally feed Rozz resources.

Something like this really was a novelty in Orario — what god, after all, would throw resources at an Adventurer with no connection to them?

But then again.

As the goddess of Freya Familia, the strongest faction in Orario, she genuinely had both the resources and the means to help Rozz.

[Give him a modest amount of resources, and see how far Rozz can go.]

As long as it satisfied her curiosity.

In Syr's eyes, that alone was reason enough to act. She looked toward the counter, where the black-haired young man was currently eating with great gusto.

"I hope..."

"...you'll bring me a surprise I've never seen before."

Next,

as the god lending support from behind the scenes, she'd give this person — Rozz, who hadn't yet formed a Bond with her but had the Potential to become a hero —

a small welcoming gift?

But deciding what to give Rozz suddenly gave Syr pause — Adventurer gear, somehow, didn't feel memorable enough.

If she was going to give a gift,

it had to be something that would stay with him throughout his Adventurer career. Unless it was top-tier equipment, gear would eventually get replaced.

A Grimoire—

that rare item that let Adventurers learn "Magic" — maybe that would be a good choice?

...

"That'll be 3,200 valis in total."

"Thanks for your patronage."

The restaurant's proprietress was a rather burly woman. Rozz had learned her name from the way the pretty waitress addressed her.

"Mama Mia"

Rozz had to admit—

he was indeed a little taken aback, but the only person he'd ever call "Mama" was Hestia. And shouting that title at a strange woman... felt more than a little disrespectful, didn't it?

After Rozz set the valis down on the table, he said earnestly, "Thank you. The food here really is delicious."

"..."

It seemed she noticed how Syr's attention lingered on Rozz, and how he, as a customer, had genuinely praised the food.

Proprietress Mia set down the wine glass she'd just finished wiping and said heartily, "If you think it's that good, you'd better come back often!"

"I will."

Once his stomach was full, Rozz had no intention of lingering in the restaurant — mostly because the atmosphere here was even noisier than he'd expected.

He stood up, about to leave.

He noticed the gaze of the gray-haired girl named Syr — after exchanging names, their relationship could probably be called friendly by now.

Rozz gave a light smile and nodded, treating it as a farewell.

"..."

"Take care, Mr. Rozz."

Her response was an especially sweet smile that spread across the gray-haired girl's exquisite, almost divinely crafted face.

Syr watched Rozz go, until his figure completely vanished from sight.

—

Night was always short.

Rozz always felt like his sleep time kept shrinking, yet no matter how exhausted his body had been the day before, all trace of it vanished the moment he woke.

Maybe it was because of the transmigration.

A body once ravaged by the so-called "blessings" of the 996 grind had been restored to the vigor of youth — and as long as it wasn't worked to death, he'd work it to the bone.

"Get up."

He looked up at the wooden ceiling above him.

Rozz's mind gradually cleared. After a quick wash-up, he decided against bringing his gear, since he wouldn't be heading into the Dungeon today.

As for breakfast,

he simply substituted it with Tater Tots — a hefty carb bomb, perfect for kicking off today's combat training.

After meeting up with Lili,

he followed the somewhat hazy route he remembered from a few days ago, heading toward the Temporary Residence Townhouse where the God of Martial Arts, Takemikazuchi, resided.

Compared to the communal dormitory,

this place was noticeably quieter and more secluded — few Adventurers passed by along the way.

"Don't worry."

"You've met this god before — the one working at the Tater Tot Stall. From spending time with him, I'd say he's actually pretty friendly."

Noticing Lili's uneasiness,

Rozz explained with a smile, "If you want to pick up some... combat techniques, you're welcome to watch too. Just ask if there's anything you don't understand."

"..."

Do I have to fight too?

Supporters, in truth, didn't need to worry about things like that, but since this was Rozz's good intention, Lili didn't argue.

Following the young man's footsteps,

she arrived at the Japanese-style courtyard in front of the Temporary Residence Townhouse, where the god, seemingly already aware of their visit, was waiting for them.

Takemikazuchi rose to his feet.

His easy smile swept over Rozz and the Supporter girl standing beside him, without asking for any details about her identity.

It seemed his earlier reminder hadn't gone to waste, after all.

The young god picked up two wooden training swords he'd prepared beforehand and tossed one casually toward Rozz.

"Rozz."

"The truth is, an Adventurer's combat skills can't really be taught — they have to be built up through real battle, over and over."

"So—"

"What you're going to do today is fight me. If you can land a hit on me with that training sword, you win."

"?"

Rozz: Wait, I'm fighting the God of Martial Arts? Seriously?!