Gin had a terrible dream last night.
It was so vivid he remembered every detail clearly.
Some goddess he'd never met barged into his hut, forced a Falna onto his defenseless back, and played with his body as she pleased.
Thankfully, it wasn't real.
He was waking up as usual, alone in his bed.
He realized he was naked, but he figured he probably stripped down in his sleep because the night was hot or something.
What a ridiculous dream. It was so absurd that his mind didn't even bother giving the imaginary goddess a name. That only proved it was just a dream.
'I mean, what kind of idiot wouldn't bother to introduce themselves to someone they're going to stay with, right?'
Gin let out a chuckle, threw on some clothes, and walked outside his room. He needed to process the food he'd foraged yesterday.
'Well, here's to another day of hard work!'
"My champion, you are finally awake."
As Gin stared at the now-familiar goddess munching on a piece of bread, he realized denial couldn't overwrite reality.
The first stage of his grief ended, and his nightmare began anew.
...
The rest of the day was a blur.
He was pretty sure he ate breakfast before heading out to Orario with the goddess in tow, but that was all he remembered.
Now he found himself in Orario's Guild Hall, facing a guild staffer who finally seemed to notice that Gin was just going through the motions.
"Are you listening to me, mister?"
Gin sighed and willed his mind to focus on the person in front of him.
Ignoring someone like that would be rude, and since this guy would be assisting him now and in the future, he figured he could at least try to show some courtesy.
"Sorry. Look, sir, I'm trying. I really am. But I'm also processing a lot right now. Could you excuse my behavior and repeat that?"
His sincerity must have shown because, despite looking annoyed, the staffer addressed him again.
"All right, I'm Rehmer—the staff responsible for you and supporting your career as an adventurer from now on. Since you're a newbie and the first member of your familia, I'll guide you through all the necessary procedures. First, can you tell me which familia you're from?"
"Hers." Gin pointed at the goddess, who was currently practicing some weird pose behind him.
"Yeah, I can tell that." Gin caught a crack beneath Rehmer's professional mask. "I can tell this is going to be a pain in my ass."
Gin heard his muttering too, and he completely agreed. 'I'm pretty sure I'll get along with this guy just fine.'
"Goddess-sama!" The goddess turned to Gin, nodding as if giving him permission to continue.
"Milady Darkest Night, how would you like to be addressed? Both for the paperwork and personally?"
"Darkest Night sounds majestic—just as expected of my champion. You may continue addressing me as such."
Gin looked back at Rehmer, silently begging the man to salvage his mistake.
"Goddess-sama, if I may?" Rehmer somehow pulled his polite face back on. "I would be forever grateful if you deemed me worthy of hearing your true name."
'Wow, this guy is reliable.' Gin sent him a telepathic thumbs-up.
"I see. You mortal who swear to Ouranos, open your ears and hear my majesty."
'Yep, she's shouting now… Oh dear, the whole building is staring at us.'
"I am the dead, the dark, the silence. I am the Darkest Night. I am Hel."
Silence seemed to permeate the building at her declaration.
Gin clapped his hands, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.
The rest of the building turned to look at him instead.
He wisely stopped.
Well, at least Hel-sama seemed to appreciate the support.
"I see, Goddess Hel." Rehmer steadfastly maintained his professional persona as he wrote on the form.
The guy's mental fortitude was something else.
Oh wait, he was turning toward him now. "And your name is?"
Hel looked at him expectantly.
Yep, he knew what she wanted, but was he ready to bear the stigma that came with it?
'Well, my dignity already evaporated into nothingness last night anyway.'
"Hear me, O children beloved by gods! I am the hero born of the darkest night, follower of the shadowed goddess and champion of the unknown."
Gin placed a hand on his hip, trying to channel a confidence he definitely didn't possess.
Oh wait, Hel was hugging him from behind.
"I am Gin. Gin Hvergel."
"I see, Gin Hvergel. Is this how you spell it?" Rehmer asked, even as the rest of the building's collective gaze continued to bury Gin six feet under.
"Oh no, it's with a G, not a J."
'Wow, he actually spelled my last name right.'
Rehmer made the correction and showed the form again.
"Yep, that's my name."
"All right, thank you, Mr. Hvergel. I look forward to working with you."
Gin absolutely wanted to ask Rehmer to teach him how to lie so naturally.
Afterwards, Gin and Rehmer discussed a lot of things.
The staffer gave him the basic rundown of the dungeon, the responsibilities and rights of a familia recognized by the guild, and a lot of other stuff Gin thought he kind of understood.
Rehmer even handed him a leather gauntlet and a knife.
"This is just a little service that the guild gives to all aspiring newcomers. Please think nothing of it."
After thanking Rehmer for his time, Gin escorted his goddess outside the building and headed to a nearby café to discuss his inevitable upcoming dungeon dive.
He had a home already, but commuting from the village to Orario every time he went adventuring would be stupid.
Securing a place to stay here in the city was vital.
There was just one simple problem: he didn't have the money for a permanent residence.
'What to do now…'
"Hel-sama? Milady Dame of Damnation?"
The goddess looked up from her waffles and gave him her attention.
Gin realized he was going to run out of chuuni nicknames fast if she only responded to these.
Oh well, he'd worry about that later.
"Do you have any idea where we could stay here in Orario?"
"…I know someone." She kept devouring her waffles. "She owns a castle."
Now that was unexpected.
'My goddess actually has a social life?'
"That's—that's actually great, Hel-sama. Will she let us stay for a while until we get our bearings here?"
"Umu. She definitely will."
"All right, after we finish the second dessert, let's meet up with your friend!"
"She's not my friend." She finished her waffles. "I want this dark chocolate parfait, my champion."
"Oh nice, I want that too. Waitress, five of those dark chocolate parfaits, please!"
He enjoyed the meal with his goddess.
...
As Hel led him through Orario's north district, Gin spotted a large building looming in the distance.
Yep, that was definitely a castle.
'Hel actually knows the owner of a place this big? Who would have thought?'
When they arrived at the gate, two guards stood watch.
"Hel-sama, can you tell them to call your friend? She's the owner of this castle, right?"
Hel nodded and walked up to one of the gatekeepers.
From a safe distance, Gin watched as she struck a dramatic pose, hiding her face with her hand.
Gin's hand met his own face. 'This is hopeless.'
He stepped forward to help, but the poor guard's confusion only deepened as she spoke.
"—For inside lies one of my brethren. An imposing wall of bone and skin, hiding the deviousness within. Thus I speak: break down the seal and let the judgment day begin."
"Yeah, sorry," Gin quickly explained. "She means that her acquaintance is inside. She should be a mischievous person with a… slender build? Can you open the gate or call her here?"
Understanding dawned on the guards as one of them walked inside, probably to summon the owner.
"…You speak the language of gods," Gin heard the remaining guard whisper. "I see why she calls you her champion."
Gin just gave him a smile.
'Is this thing actually infectious?'
He didn't have to wait long before a woman ran towards them from the castle. Another goddess, by the looks of it.
She skipped up to Hel and threw her arms wide open.
"Hel-tan! Did you miss me!?"
"Ei."
The newcomer received a devastating blow to her gut.
'Wow, that looked painful—wait, no, she's trying to get up right away. What tenacity!'
His goddess seemed to notice and immediately took a fighting stance, clearly ready to dish out more punishment.
'Wait—are they really friends?'
"Hahaha! You're as rough as ever, Hel-tan." The new goddess smiled carefree, as if taking a low blow was nothing but a friendly greeting.
"But I love that about you too!"
"My champion, I've changed my mind. Let's go. I saw an abandoned church on the way here. It should suffice."
"Wait! Wait! It's been so long since we last met! Just come in! Make yourself at home! Please!"
"I refuse."
"Oh, come on Hel-tan!" She paused, finally noticing Gin. "Wait, who's the dude?"
"He's my apostle, my champion, my soul." Hel stood before Gin, somehow looking smug without changing her expression.
"He is Gin Hve—He… Hagel…"
…
'Oi, seriously? She forgot my name.'
"Gin Shadowrealm."
'No, just no.'
"That's one… funky name, kid. I see how you caught Hel-tan's eyes." The goddess looked at him with pity.
Gin refused to embrace the new name.
"I am Gin Hvergel. I am Hel's newest and only familia. It's an honor to meet you."
"Ah, I see. You're a victim, huh? Well, Hel-tan is cute. So just be a man and endure it." She patted his back, showing no restraint even to a complete stranger. "I'm Loki. The up-and-coming familia goddess, here to replace old fart Zeus's legacy with my own. Nice to meet ya, Gin."
Loki.
Even a backwater hunter like Gin knew her name.
She was one of the goddesses who rose to fame after Zeus and Hera's familias were annihilated seven years ago, alongside Freya.
He didn't know much about her familia, except for the [Braver], Finn Deimne, who somehow led an expedition to defeat the monster rex Amphisbaena—and ended up setting the record for the shortest takedown with the fewest members.
The fact that Hel knew a big shot like this was unbelievable. The fact that she took her down without a single shred of guilt was even more unbelievable.
He was lucky Loki just laughed it off and offered them a place to stay.
After Loki gave them the green light, Gin immediately brought most of his necessities over.
He wanted to say they were staying here for free, but that would undermine the mental agony his goddess bore.
He could tell she didn't like Loki—and as her "champion," it was his job to get out of here as soon as he could.
'Yeah, I have no other choice. It's time to face the music.'
Gin checked his equipment one by one, especially his bow and arrows—his trusty partners. They were in perfect condition, ready to be used whenever he needed them.
...
Today would be his first descent into the famed dungeon.
He was as prepared as he could be.
"Are you finally heading out, my champion?" Hel stood in the doorway, her expression as impassive as ever. "The day of fate has come. The emissary from the darkness readies his bow. The dungeon weeps as he tramples it beneath his heel."
Gin smiled wryly at that.
She didn't change, no matter the occasion. It was weird how the most constant thing in his life now was this strange goddess.
"Is that an order, milady?" He walked up to her, smiling fearlessly—fully aware that if things went south, he would just turn tail and run.
'What? No one will know if there's no witness. That's one of the perks of working solo, after all.'
"Nay. It is a prayer. A hope, a promise that the small tale I encounter will bloom into a legend."
'She really believes in me, huh?' Gin wondered what he did to deserve that.
No matter.
The only thing left was to become someone worthy of her faith.
If that was the case, then he could at least do this.
"If so, then you're in luck, my goddess. You were there for my rebirth, and you shall continue to bear witness as I surpass all legends."
He let his hand rest on her head, gently brushing her hair.
"I am Gin Hvergel, the Nightmare Eater, and I promise you this—"
She looked up at him, raw expectation shining in her eyes.
"Any who challenge us shall be devoured."