My Goddess is a Tsundere

[Hello! Bane of the Slums]

Bane looked up at the message above the fireplace, assuming he was dreaming or something.

"What?" Eir asked, noticing Bane's contorted face.

"Do you see that?" he said, lifting his hand to grasp at the blue holographic square that hung above the fireplace. His hand phased through the message. Comprehending such a thing made his brain hurt.

"See what?" Eir's voice rose, almost in panic.

"There's a box that says, 'Hello! Bane of the Slums,' right there," he said, pointing to the message above the fireplace. "Wait!" His eyes widened as he looked over at Eir.

"What?" Eir couldn't follow what was happening.

"I can read!" He glanced from the message to Eir with a wide smile on his face. "The blessing must have caused it—and the message!"

"Wait, back up. You see a message?" Eir was glad Bane could read, but the mention of a message stirred a memory within her.

"Yes, it's right there," he said, pushing his hand through the holographic box.

"Bane, do you know of the original adventurers?" Bane shrugged.

"You mean Thorfin and the others? Like the bedtime stories?" Bane asked. He'd heard such tales from his mother before she passed away.

"Well, they're true. I personally didn't believe it until now, but it seems that a god's first recruit becomes stronger than subsequent recruits. Just like Thorfin and the others. Each of them was their faction's first recruit, and they followed the messages they received to adventure deeper than anyone had before. I thought it was just a myth, but since you're my first recruit and you're seeing such messages, it must be true." Bane just stared, trying to process everything she said.

'Does that mean I'm a chosen one?' Thoughts of superstardom raced through his head.

"I see. So, you think this is a perk for being your first recruit?" Bane asked.

"Yes. Has anything else appeared?" Bane shook his head.

"No, just that. And I can't touch it or get rid of it."

"Since it's something only you can see, try thinking about it going away," Eir suggested.

Bane sat with all his focus on the message, committing it to memory and imagining it disappearing. After a moment, it shrank out of existence. However, soon after, a small square appeared in the top left corner of his vision. It was a tiny icon with a human body on it.

Thinking about opening it, the icon expanded to reveal a holographic human figure, under which read: Bane of the Slums.

With Bane's silence and his mouth slightly agape, Eir interjected. "Well?"

"It went away, and now… I think I'm looking at my status." After receiving a god's blessing, adventurers would grow stronger over time by fighting monsters and leveling up their abilities, skills, and overall level. Bane knew as much, but he'd never seen it presented this way—directly to an adventurer.

Statuses could only be read by those who knew the god's tongue. While it wasn't necessary to see your level, it would be a significant advantage for adventurers.

"Your status? Really? Usually, only gods can read that." Now the two of them were equally confused.

Bane gazed upon his status:

[Bane of the Slums]: LV 1

[Title]: NONE

[Strength]: LV 1

[Dexterity]: LV 1

[Mind]: LV 1

[Agility]: LV 1

[Fortitude]: LV 1

[Magic]: LV 1

[Skills]: NONE

"It says everything is level one," Bane said. Eir nodded.

"That makes sense. You haven't fought anything yet. If I read your status, I bet it would match."

'So, this just lets me see my status without my goddess reading and deciphering it for me. Convenient,' Bane thought. He was quickly filled with an urge to get to the dungeon and start leveling up.

"This is incredible, Bane, but don't get ahead of yourself, alright?" Eir said. That was the biggest concern on both of their minds—having such an advantage over every other adventurer could make you cocky.

Bane nodded. "I know. I want to go, though." Eir nodded.

"That's only natural, but there are a few things we need to do first. A weapon and armor." Gear shops were scattered throughout Gren. Bane's only concern was the money. With him being a poor slum-born kid and the goddess likely penniless, getting good-quality items would be difficult.

"What about the money?" Bane asked.

"I have a few Shill left. I brought down a few items and pawned them. That might have been against the rules, but I don't think it matters." It seemed Eir was also a rule breaker.

"You would spend your last savings on me?" Bane asked. It was another uncharacteristic act from his goddess. The picture of her in his head was stern and cold.

"Y-Yeah, I guess I could. It's not like I care or anything, though!" Eir said, acting uncaring toward her only subordinate.

"Uh… okay. Where should we go, then?" Bane knew all the best and most expensive smiths and shops in Gren. He window-shopped all the time when he was a kid. He always dreamed of shopping at one of Hephaestus's many stores, though the price of one piece of armor or one weapon was in the millions of Shill.

"Well, considering our current economic situation, you'll have to settle for some pieces of junk," Eir said, not hiding her bluntness.

Bane pursed his lips. "I know. So, where should we go to get that? We can't just show up to one of Hephaestus's shops with no money." Hephaestus, a male god, is known for his forgery and smithing ability. People in his faction take his oath with the dream of making items half as good as his.

"You're right. I haven't explored much of Gren. Do you know any places here that have weapons and armor for a decent price?" Eir asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Yeah, I used to walk around Gren looking at all the adventuring equipment. But could I ask how much money you have?" While Bane knew the best of the best when it came to blacksmiths, he also knew the worst of the worst. Depending on the money Eir had left, he could make an accurate decision.

"I only have about 10,000 Shill left," Eir said.

Bane looked away, nodding, deep in thought.

'With around 10,000 Shill, there isn't really anything you can get,' Bane thought as he racked his mind, trying to remember a shop that sold equipment for so cheap. After a moment, it was as if a light bulb appeared above him.

"Old Grey's!" Bane shouted.

"What?" Understandably, Eir was confused.

"Old Grey's—it's the name of a shop owned by an old man in the slums where I grew up. I talked to him a lot about adventuring when I was little. He has really cheap prices, though the items aren't that good either," Bane said. It was a double-edged sword, but he couldn't think of another smith in all of Gren that had prices as cheap as Old Grey's.

Eir nodded, digesting Bane's reasoning. She could do nothing but trust his intuition.

"Okay! Well, then, let's go!" Eir said, quickly standing up, her long black hair fluttering at her motion.

Bane was starting to realize, 'Eir is a child at heart. Moving quickly and yelling happily when something goes her way is the prime example of a child. Then she always corrects herself after doing something unexpected.'

Just after finishing that thought, Eir quickly touched up her hair and spoke again, "I mean. Let's go," she said more quietly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Bane couldn't help but laugh. At first, he deemed his decision to join the Eir faction as a bad one. But looking at Eir now, she was practically harmless. Bane closed the blue box displaying his status and stood, joining Eir in a light stretch.

"Yep, let's go," Bane said, hands high in the air, grasping at the air above. Lowering his hands, he cast his gaze to his right, eyeing Eir.

"Thank you, Eir," Bane said with a smile—a genuine smile. Bane always had a fake smile on his face; deep down, he was an anxious, scared kid. With Eir, he had been given true hope.

Eir looked back at him, mouth agape and face flushed, as if she were backfiring.

"Y-Yeah, you should be grateful," she said, acting as tough as she could, puffing out her chest.

"If it weren't for you and your blessing, I don't know where I would be," he said, his gaze lowering and with it his voice. "If I wasn't immediately accepted as an adventurer to a guild, I told myself I would…" Bane quickly shook his head and coughed. Looking up, it seemed as if he were about to cry.

"Just… thank you." Seeing Bane like this, Eir couldn't respond as her usual self.

"O-Of course, Bane. Thank you, too. You will be valued here," Eir said gently, letting her true feelings show for an instant.

Hearing that, Bane's energy returned. "You ready to go shopping, Eir?" Bane asked, keeping the genuine smile on his face.

Eir nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." The two of them carefully maneuvered through the dilapidated building.