Hestia ran out of the house, her face brimming with excitement as she greeted everyone. Ren Isana glanced at the girls, then turned to Bell. "No need to be so polite. Since you've joined the Familia, we're all on the same team now."
Hearing this, Bell let out a sheepish chuckle, the tension in his heart dissipating slightly. It seemed this captain was quite easy to talk to.
"What do you mean 'on the same team'? Isn't that phrasing a bit weird? You make us sound like some shady gang!" Shizuka Hiratsuka, however, had dark lines forming on her forehead upon hearing Ren's words.
"Don't sweat the details. Hestia, did you really only find two new members?" Ren waved his hand dismissively, not bothering to argue with Shizuka. Instead, he looked at the visibly excited Hestia.
Faced with Ren's question, Hestia scratched her cheek somewhat sheepishly. "Actually, I only found one—Bell. Natsuki was the one who brought Haruhime back."
Hestia then recounted how Natsuki Minamiya and Yor Forger had picked up Haruhime. She conveniently omitted the fact that Haruhime came from the Pleasure Quarter, though Ren was already fully aware of it.
*Hestia probably left that out to prevent everyone from thinking she's some sort of weirdo,* Ren thought. *In reality, she's as pure as they come.*
Ren didn't pry into the matter. If Hestia didn't want to bring it up, he naturally wasn't going to ask.
Haruhime stepped forward at this moment, greeting everyone with a hint of trepidation. She had heard Hestia's explanation just now and noticed that the goddess hadn't mentioned a single thing about her background.
*Is she afraid these people won't be able to accept me as a new member?* This thought left Haruhime feeling a bit uneasy. Ren looked at her and took the initiative to introduce himself. "Hello, I'm Ren Isana, the captain of the Hestia Familia."
Hearing Ren's words, Haruhime hurriedly replied, "Greetings, Ren-sama. I am Haruhime Sanjouno... I come from..."
"Where you come from isn't important. What matters is that you're a member of the Hestia Familia now," Ren said, directly cutting off whatever Haruhime was about to say. "Yukino, Megumi Kato, Asuna—she's practically your fellow countrywoman in this world. You guys should get to know her."
*This girl was really about to spill her entire backstory,* Ren mused. He didn't actually care about her past, but if she blurted out that she came from the Pleasure Quarter, the male students would undoubtedly start asking all sorts of annoying questions.
Called out by Ren, Yukino, Megumi, and Asuna all paused for a moment. *A fellow countrywoman in this world? Sanjouno? That surname?* If that was the case, it really did sound like the naming style from the Sakura District.
*But this world's Sakura District actually has fox girls?* Brimming with curiosity, Asuna stepped forward. "Hello there! I'm Asuna Yuuki, it's a pleasure to meet you. You can just call me Asuna from now on. Is it alright if I call you Haruhime?"
Asuna greeted her with a very gentle demeanor. Recalling Ren's reassuring words and seeing Asuna's warm approach, Haruhime smiled and nodded.
She now had a basic understanding of Ren—he was a very gentle captain. This realization melted away a bit more of her anxiety, and Haruhime immediately began chatting with Asuna.
The other girls couldn't contain their curiosity either and crowded around, asking Haruhime all sorts of questions. After all... she was a real-life fox girl! The boys, naturally, were even more eager and wanted to come over and chat with her too.
This was a fox girl! A fox girl on the same level as legendary figures like Daji or Ahri! It was simply too intriguing. If she wasn't currently surrounded by the girls, she would have definitely been mobbed by the boys.
And then... she would probably faint on the spot. After all, she had a bit of androphobia. A fox girl who could pass out just from seeing a man's collarbone—it was honestly a bit of a shame. It seemed the guys would have to make sure they were always fully buttoned up around her.
"Ren, you guys go rest up! I'll have someone start making dinner right away!" Seeing that the new members had been introduced, Hestia quickly chimed in before scurrying off.
Since Ren and the others had returned earlier than expected, dinner hadn't been prepared yet. As the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia was absolutely certain they hadn't eaten, so she ran off without another word to get the kitchen staff working.
Watching Hestia leave, Ren didn't say anything. While the girls were busy fawning over Haruhime, the boys naturally flocked around Bell. Everyone was full of curiosity about this middle-school-aged kid.
Bell was a bit nervous chatting with his new seniors, but he quickly realized that even though they were older than him, they were all very easygoing.
"How was the harvest this time?" Natsuki Minamiya asked, twirling her small parasol as she walked up to Ren. She was quite invested in the growth of these students.
"A massive haul. We farmed a ton of monsters in the Dungeon this time. If nothing goes wrong, everyone should be able to break through to Tier 4 once they update their status," Ren reported.
Hearing this, Natsuki, Yor, and Shizuka immediately swept their gazes over the students present. After carefully sensing everyone's condition, the three of them understood.
Ren wasn't exaggerating; it was the truth. Everyone was on the verge of hitting Tier 4. After inspecting the rest of the class, the three teachers simultaneously shifted their focus to Ren.
"You're getting close too," Natsuki said, looking at Ren with immense satisfaction. His aura had grown significantly stronger. It probably wouldn't be long before he broke through as well, which meant Ren would finally be able to learn Advanced Magic.
With that in mind, Natsuki continued, "Once you reach Tier 5, I'll teach you Advanced Spatial Magic. Also, consider your assessment passed. After you all update your statuses, take some time to properly consolidate your strength before heading out again."
Ren looked at her in confusion. *We had an assessment?* He wasn't the only one wondering; the rest of the class had also turned their attention over upon hearing this.
None of them knew about this. Rina-sensei had never mentioned anything of the sort. Everyone was suddenly bewildered, not quite understanding what Natsuki meant.
"Aside from gaining combat experience, your time here came with a specific assessment: the entire class must break through to Tier 4. Now that you've essentially passed, you'll officially be university students once you return," Natsuki explained.
The crowd was completely dumbfounded. Sora couldn't help but blurt out, "Wait, does that mean we don't have to take the college entrance exams?"
Normally, getting into a university required taking the grueling national exams. But now Natsuki was telling them they had passed their assessment? Did that mean they were exempt from the exams entirely?
"What you are doing right now *is* your college entrance exam. And all of you have passed!" Natsuki didn't show any impatience as she revealed the truth. Coming to this world to train was their exam.
In reality, every student in this class was a guaranteed admission candidate. After all the effort Director Ken had put into gathering these specific students, how could he possibly make them take the standard written exams like ordinary students?
Everyone was stunned. *So this was our entrance exam!* Once the reality set in, the class erupted into cheers. After all, they had just cleared one of the biggest hurdles in a student's life.
"Sensei, Sensei! Which university are we going to?" someone eagerly asked, wanting to know where they would be spending their college years now that they had passed.
Natsuki stated the name of the school, fully confident that not a single person would reject it.
"Dimensional Nexus University. You should all be very familiar with that name." The moment Natsuki spoke those words, the sheer delight on many of the students' faces became impossible to hide.
Ren was equally surprised. From what he knew, this was the absolute best university in their world. Its very name represented everything.
The university was situated on an island, and that island was connected to numerous Dimensional Rifts. That was exactly how it had earned its name.
"Hell yeah!"
"Holy crap, I'm gonna be the pride of my entire bloodline!!"
"We actually got into *that* university?!"
The students were ecstatic. This was simply too incredible!
Watching the overjoyed students, the corners of Natsuki's mouth curled up slightly. She didn't interrupt their celebration, choosing instead to watch quietly.
Bell and Haruhime, however, were completely lost. They had no idea what their seniors were so excited about. Had something amazing just happened?
"Alright, calm down, everyone. Save the excitement for when we actually get back. For now, come with me and help sort out the materials." Ren didn't share Natsuki's sentimentality. After letting them cheer for a bit, he ruthlessly cut the celebration short.
*Are you happy? Good, now get to work.* Sorting the materials now, then eating dinner, and finally taking a hot shower—it was the perfect schedule.
Ren's words slowly brought everyone back down to earth. He was right; it was too early to celebrate. It would be much better to share this excitement with their parents once they returned home!
Having said his piece, Ren walked straight toward the room they used for forging weapons. Seeing this, the others quickly followed suit, even dragging Bell and Haruhime along.
Upon entering, Ren immediately began dumping out batches of Magic Stones and monster materials. The others who had Spatial Backpacks also stepped forward, emptying out the loot Ren had entrusted to them.
Bell and Haruhime stared in dumbfounded shock as the materials and Magic Stones instantly formed two small mountains. The sheer volume of Magic Stones was practically blinding.
*There's this much?! And what kind of backpacks are those? How can they hold so many things?!* The two locals stood there with their jaws hanging open, unable to believe their eyes.
"Let's get to work. Grab some crates and sort out all the low and mid-grade Magic Stones and materials. You all know the drill, right?" Ren asked, looking at the group.
Everyone nodded. Of course they knew what to do; there was no need for Ren to explain it again. The boys ran off to count the Magic Stones, while the girls went to sort the materials.
Once sorted, the items would be packed back into the Spatial Backpacks to be sold at the Guild in one massive batch. As everyone sprang into action, Bell and Haruhime hurriedly rushed over to help.
With over forty people working together, the process was incredibly fast. Furthermore, everyone's [Perception Magic] played a huge role here. Through their combined efforts, it took just over an hour to completely sort the massive pile of loot.
Sorting and packing simultaneously, the only Magic Stones and materials left on the floor were the rare and high-grade ones. Ren didn't hesitate to store all of these away for himself.
"Done. Tomorrow, after we sell this off, I'll go buy a new batch of crafting materials and upgrade everyone's weapons. Oh, and Bell, Haruhime—I'll forge weapons for the two of you tomorrow as well. Consider it a perk of joining the Hestia Familia." Ren clapped his hands together after packing everything away.
Bell's eyes immediately lit up. "Thank you, Captain! I'll be in your care!" he bowed hurriedly.
During his short time at the Hestia Familia estate, he had heard plenty of stories about Ren. A super-powerful captain who could learn any magic instantly, forge weapons, and brew potions.
In Bell's eyes, Ren was practically omnipotent. Now that he had finally met the man in person, his gaze was filled with even more intense admiration!
Haruhime also quickly expressed her gratitude, not refusing the offer. Over the past few days, aside from teaching her magic, Natsuki had also imparted a great deal of general knowledge to her, hoping to help her grow stronger.
"Alright, let's all go eat first. After that, take a shower and get your statuses updated. If all goes well, everyone is about to break through." Mentioning this, Ren couldn't help but smirk.
Even though he hadn't reached the threshold for a breakthrough himself, the others had. That meant everyone would soon be able to learn even more advanced techniques. And besides that... there would probably be people itching to challenge him to a fight again, right?
The thought made Ren quite happy. After all, it meant he'd get to ruthlessly beat someone up again. When it came to thrashing his classmates, Ren was dead serious!
Hearing Ren's reminder, the class grew excited once more. Without hesitation, everyone headed toward the dining hall, ready to eat.
Hestia had been keeping a close eye on the dining hall the entire time. She was just about to go call them when everyone suddenly showed up. "Perfect timing! Dinner is ready!" she eagerly announced.
"Thanks for the hard work, Hestia-chan!" Sora greeted with a cheeky grin. The mouth-watering aroma of food already filled the air, and having skipped lunch, everyone was absolutely starving.
After greeting Hestia, everyone lined up to get their food, ready to dig into the feast. Even though it had only taken a little over an hour, the spread was incredibly lavish. Some of the dishes had clearly been prepped well in advance; otherwise, they wouldn't have been ready so quickly.
The dining hall became incredibly lively as everyone sat together, enjoying the delicious meal. Hestia took a seat next to Ren and the girls, chatting with him as they ate.
Recounting their battles in the Dungeon made for a great story. With a bit of artistic embellishment, the tales left Bell—who had never set foot in the Dungeon—completely spellbound. It only fueled his desire to go adventuring in the Dungeon even more.
"Hestia, update everyone's status later. If everything goes as expected, their strength should break through to Lv.4 once the updates are done," Ren informed her.
Hearing this, Hestia nodded excitedly. "Okay, that's amazing! Hehehe... Over forty Lv.4 members! Not even that Flat-chest has that many!"
Hestia was absolutely thrilled. If word got out, it would probably scare the living daylights out of quite a few deities. At the same time, she made up her mind—at the next Denatus, she was going to brag her heart out.
She also needed to secure some incredibly badass aliases for everyone. After all, they were so strong now; how could they go without proper titles? She just hoped those other gods wouldn't mess around and give them a bunch of ridiculous, nonsensical names.
If they did, she would be furious. And the consequences of her anger were very severe! *I hope those guys know what's good for them,* Hestia thought, suddenly breaking into a goofy, silly giggle.
Ren, Asuna, and the others stared speechlessly at the giggling goddess. However, no one bothered to interrupt her. She was probably just lost in some wild fantasy. As long as she wasn't actually sick, it was fine.
And if she *was* sick in the head, it was probably incurable anyway. Even if she was cured, she'd probably still drool. It was better to just let her keep giggling.
Everyone buried their heads in their food. It wasn't long before some finished eating. After saying a quick goodbye to Ren, they immediately left the dining hall and rushed back to their rooms to wash up.
Many of the students were actually incredibly anxious about their impending breakthroughs. They were just one step away—who could possibly hold back? Naturally, the best course of action was to finish dinner early, shower quickly, and get ready!
Seeing people finish one after another, Ren also sped up his eating. Hestia only just realized what was happening and cried out, "Good grief, what's the rush?! Eat slowly!"
She didn't understand what these people were doing. She hadn't even given a celebratory toast yet, and they were already done? It was like a boss getting ready to propose a toast, only to find that everyone had already finished their food and bolted!
"They all went back to shower so they can wait for you to update their statuses and help them break through. Once their stomachs are full, who has the patience to stick around?" Ren explained between bites.
Hearing this, Hestia felt a bit helpless, but there was nothing she could do. Left with no other choice, she sped up her own eating so she could get ready to update everyone's status boards.
After finishing his meal, Ren left straight away as well. He needed to take a shower and change his clothes. Even though he washed the clothes he brought with him every day, drying them with magic in a place like the Dungeon still left them smelling a bit funky.
After all, how clean could you really get your clothes down there? Some adventurers didn't even bother bathing at all. It was only because Ren and his classmates were sticklers for hygiene that they insisted on showering every single day!