Chapter One: The Boy and the Girl with the Broken Leg

Torrent City.
The Underground Nest.

A guard blocked a young man and demanded, "Name."

The youth replied, "Ye Ran."

The guard scrutinized the boy standing before him. He had a thick head of black hair, bangs brushing his brows, and a pair of lively, penetrating eyes beneath. The angles of his face were anything but gentle, lending him a rather cold and stern appearance. He looked to be fifteen or sixteen, yet bore no trace of childishness.

He wore a white shirt and black shorts, both washed clean, though it was obvious at a glance they were the cheapest street market goods. As the guard lowered his head to record the entry, he cast another glance at Ye Ran. The boy wore no armor, no ornaments, had no weapon—only a cloth pouch tied at his waist. The guard muttered under his breath, "Another pest from the slums."

Encountering the poor from the slum district meant not only no profit to be made, but also the need for extra scrutiny.

"Hey, is it really appropriate for you to say that right in front of me?" Ye Ran protested, displeased.

The guard, with shifty eyes, gave a low laugh. "Young man, I'm not making things hard for you. Tell me, which major guild are you with, which godly lineage, or which great family? Or perhaps, are you a student at some school? You know the rules here."

The rules of the Underground Nest were clear: only members of approved guilds, great families, renowned schools, or chosen by the gods could enter. All others were forbidden.

The guard sneered, "If you're none of those, you'd best turn around and leave."

Ye Ran snorted, pulling a divine token from his pocket. "Idiot, the one who chose me is... Goddess of Love, Freya..."

His voice trailed off, especially at the words "Goddess of Love, Freya." Even as he said it, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

The warriors queuing behind grew curious. They'd heard of Thor the Thunder God, Ares the God of War, Bacchus the God of Wine, and many other gods, but the Goddess of Love, Freya... that was unfamiliar to them.

The guard took the pink divine token from Ye Ran, examining it thoroughly. The patterns matched those of authentic tokens exactly; each bore a shard of divine magic crystal, impossible to fake even for the most cunning merchants of Torrent City.

"Hey, must you stare at a divine token for so long?"

"There are people waiting behind you."

"He clearly has no money—don’t bother hoping for a bribe from him."

...

The people behind grew impatient.

The guard blushed, handed the token back to Ye Ran with a resentful grunt, and said, "Go in."

Ye Ran pocketed the token and strode toward the pitch-black cave. The guard instinctively pointed to a group of robust dwarves nearby. "Hey, don’t you need these helpers? They can be your bait, help you fight, carry your spoils..."

"No need."

Ye Ran cut him off with a drawn-out tone, waved dismissively, and disappeared into the depths of the nest.

"Damn, miserable wretch," the guard spat at Ye Ran's departing figure, unable to contain his annoyance, then began checking the next entrant.

He admitted only two guild teams and three god-chosen before he saw Ye Ran ambling out from behind. Checking the small clock on his desk, it had been less than fifteen minutes.

Ye Ran’s white shirt was still spotless, but his hands were stained with blood. The cloth pouch now slung over his shoulder was bulging, nearly half the size of a person.

The guard eyed him strangely. "So fast—were you frightened out, or...?"

Ye Ran said nothing, simply opened the pouch for the guard to see.

"Ah—!"

The guard recoiled with a scream, nearly dropping to the ground, staring at Ye Ran in terror.

"Tch, coward," Ye Ran scoffed, hefting the pouch and leaving the nest under the astonished gazes of those present.

Once he was gone, the warriors behind burst into chatter.

"Liu, what happened with that kid? Why are you so shaken?"

"Yeah, you're an old hand here—ahem, a veteran guard. Why so out of sorts today?"

Old Liu climbed to his feet, wiping sweat from his brow, still uneasy. "Inside... was the corpse of a giant rat monster from the second level of the nest."

"Isn't it just a giant rat? What's there to be afraid of?"

Old Liu gave him a look. "A dismembered giant rat monster."

"Huh? So?"

Old Liu looked again. "Dismembered barehanded in thirteen minutes."

"This..."

Ye Ran exchanged the neatly butchered rat monster at the wild game shop on Northwest Street for ten copper coins.

Ye Ran slipped the coins into his purse, his brows furrowing; it seemed a bit too little.

The plump, jowly chef, Lyle, smiled. "Ye Ran, you know that's not bad. You're a regular here. At other restaurants, you'd get six coins at most. Can't help it—these low-level monsters are brought in by many."

Ye Ran nodded, said nothing more, stowed the purse and left.

It was dusk. The streets were lively: people clad in finery browsed stalls, the clanging of dwarves at the forge rang out, and elves, treefolk, rabbitfolk, and godfolk who had traveled from faraway lands could be seen here and there.

Torrent City was undoubtedly a place of tolerance; most races found a foothold here. Of course, some were strictly banned—such as trolls, cannibal tribes, and wraiths.

To most, Torrent City’s prosperity, peace, stability, and wealth made it a paradise. But for Ye Ran, it was anything but.

His home lay less than ten meters from the city’s most notorious slum. When a man owns nothing, he is often left without scruples.

Ye Ran bought bandages, painkillers, cough syrup, and some mosquito repellent at the pharmacy, then picked up two servings of fried rice at the food street before heading home.

Counting his purse, only two copper coins remained. Tomorrow, he’d have to hustle for a living again.

He walked to Brick Street, where foot traffic thinned. This was close to the slum; anyone of any status avoided it.

The only people living here were those unable to leave.

From a distance, he saw his house aglow with light and a faint smile appeared on his face. At the door, he knocked three times, then three more.

It was a secret signal he’d agreed upon with the little girl at home—only the two of them knew it.

Inside, slow footsteps approached, and the door opened. A small head covered in hair clips peeked out.

A soft, rosy-cheeked little girl stood there; her eyes were especially bright, and her adorable face lit up with a radiant smile at the sight of Ye Ran.

The only flaw was the crutch she leaned on, her leg cast and wrapped in bandages.

"Freya, is your leg any better?"

Ye Ran glanced at her little leg. No matter how many times he saw it, it always made him want to burst out laughing.

When other godfolk descended to the mortal realm, it was accompanied by grand phenomena: earthquakes, tsunamis, dazzling spectacle. But this little goddess—when she came down, she... broke her leg.