Anime: Passive Inheritance System

"…Then, Miss Mikoto, I'll be taking my leave for now. Let's chat again when I have the time."

At the gate of the Takemikazuchi Familia's residence, Kai waved to Mikoto inside with a calm smile. At the same time, his peripheral vision swept toward Takemikazuchi, who was standing under the eaves. He gave a slight nod, his gaze reflecting gratitude for having achieved his goal.

"Um… are you really not going to stay a while longer? Or maybe have a meal before you leave?"

Gripping the hem of her kimono slightly, Mikoto looked up at the man whose peaceful smile gave off a new kind of aura—one that made people unconsciously want to draw closer, yet also inspired a subtle sense of awe. If she had to describe it, it was almost like the presence of Lord Takemikazuchi himself, just more subdued.

But despite her invitation, Kai still wore that same mild smile as he gently declined, "I really can't. If I get back too late, Lady Hestia will be upset."

"I see…"

Hearing his clear refusal, Mikoto looked a bit disappointed, but she forced a smile and said, "Then please come visit again sometime. Lord Takemikazuchi seems to like you a lot."

Of course he does. He's more than just fond of me...

Kai inwardly muttered with a smirk, then responded, "I definitely will."

With that, he turned around and walked away from the Takemikazuchi Familia's base, his steps light and steady.

Mikoto stood there dazed, watching his back as it gradually disappeared from view. After a long moment, she snapped out of it. Her face flushed red, and she reached out to close the front gate.

But—

"Hmm? Mikoto, could it be you've taken a liking to that boy?"

A familiar male voice suddenly spoke behind her, almost making her scream. Even so, her face turned ghostly pale from the fright, wiping away all traces of her earlier blush.

Bang!

Snapping out of her shock, Mikoto slammed the gate shut and turned with an annoyed glare at the culprit—their own deity, Takemikazuchi.

"Hahaha, that look in your eyes isn't bad at all, Mikoto."

Meeting her gaze without a hint of guilt, Takemikazuchi continued, "But I really didn't expect it. You've only met him a few times, and already you're interested in someone outside our Familia? Girls really do grow away from home fast. You used to cling to me all the time when you were little—said something like, 'when I grow up, I want to—'"

With every word Takemikazuchi said, Mikoto's face grew redder. Soon, from her neck to the tips of her ears, she was entirely flushed. The string of reason in her mind trembled on the verge of snapping.

"Lord Takemikazuchi! Please stop talking already!!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop."

Looking at Mikoto shouting with eyes tightly shut in embarrassment and anger, Takemikazuchi cut off mid-sentence and sighed as if reminiscing.

"Mikoto used to be such a small child. Whenever she saw strangers, she'd hide behind me and refuse to come out… and now she's at the age where she can fall for boys."

"Lord Takemikazuchi…"

Hearing him speak with the tone of a parent who had watched their child grow, Mikoto felt a little emotional.

In her life, Takemikazuchi had been many things: an elder, a teacher, the god who had granted her [Falna], and someone she had long admired and loved. He had always been number one in her heart. But just now, another person had somehow squeezed into that spot.

A man with the same black hair and black eyes as Lord Takemikazuchi, but far more ordinary in appearance.

…Though maybe his temperament was surprisingly attractive?

Recalling the aura that Kai had given off before leaving, Mikoto couldn't help but feel hopeful.

At the same time, she turned to the god she trusted the most and asked, "Lord Takemikazuchi, what do you think of Kai-san as a person?"

"Kai… he's quite an impressive young man. Bold, daring, and brave enough to surprise even me. I believe he'll go far in the future."

Recalling the short time he'd spent with Kai and the traits he'd observed, Takemikazuchi praised him generously without reservation.

However, just as Mikoto's face lit up with a joyful smile, Takemikazuchi suddenly added, "But Mikoto, it's best if you keep your distance from him."

"…Eh?"

His sudden change of tone left Mikoto confused.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Takemikazuchi continued, "It's fine if you see him as someone to admire. But if you're thinking of him as someone you love, then I advise you to give up as soon as possible. There will never be a result between you. And as time goes on, you'll find that the distance between you and him keeps growing, until he's completely out of reach…"

"…"

To Mikoto, Takemikazuchi's words hit like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, leaving her stunned.

She never doubted the truth of his words. Gods live for millions of years. With such immense experience and wisdom, how could they be wrong?

Frozen in place for a long time, Mikoto finally forced herself to speak, struggling against despair. "Then what do I have to do to…"

"You won't be able to catch up." Takemikazuchi cut her off mid-sentence. "The only one who might be able to walk alongside him is someone from his own Familia…"

"Lord Takemikazuchi, you mean that Little Supporter from the Hestia Familia?"

"Of course not…"

Smiling, Takemikazuchi reached out to gently ruffle the hair of the disappointed Mikoto and softly said, "In the future, when he crosses the river of time, the only one who might truly stand beside him is that person…"

…

In the slums, Kai slowly walked, not in a rush to return to the church.

Floating before him was the pale blue light screen of the system. The race column now read: [Primordial Force False God (Pseudo)

Having acquired both adventurer and divine traits, Kai's basic attributes hadn't changed much, still matching his current level. However, his age now displayed as 23 (???), a clear sign that he had successfully inherited the near-infinite lifespan of a god.

And that wasn't all he had gained.

Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, Kai extended his left hand. A moment later, faint arcs of electricity began to dance in his palm.

This was the divine power he inherited from Takemikazuchi.

Strictly speaking, Kai was currently only half a god—maybe even less. He couldn't yet control divine power freely, nor release proper arcanum.

Previously, Takemikazuchi had planted a seed of divine power within his body. That seed would slowly take root at the boundary of his soul and flesh, gradually consuming his mortal body and spirit like absorbing nutrients. Over time, it would release divine essence, reshape his body into that of a god, temper his soul into a divine soul, and bestow him with authority and arcanum. Only then would he truly become a new Primordial Force God.

As for his current ability to discharge electricity, it was a side effect of the seed itself—after all, the god who created the seed held dominion over lightning.

Watching the arcs of electricity in his palm shift with his thoughts, Kai found it amusing and kept playing with them. Not until he neared the church did he finally disperse them.

…

In the days that followed, Kai spent almost every day fighting monsters in the dungeon.

Perhaps due to the divine aura now lingering on his body, he felt that the dungeon was becoming increasingly hostile. Sometimes, the moment he stepped off the vertical ladder onto a floor, that level would immediately seal shut. Then, like a downpour, dense waves of monsters would spawn and charge at him—only to be slain by his cold blade before they could even roar.

With so many high-level monsters slain, his experience quickly filled up: 9143/10000. His attributes had also risen to the high 80s and 90s.

With more power, he naturally pushed deeper into the dungeon. The deeper he went, the stronger the monsters became, and the more EXP he earned from defeating those above his level.

By the final day of the trial task's countdown, Kai had already reached the 58th floor. Though he still had energy to spare, he chose to return to Orario to wait for the trial's start.

That night, at the Hostess of Fertility tavern, Kai sat alone at the innermost table. On the table was a plate of salted peanuts and a few pots of fruit wine.

He sipped the sweet wine slowly and occasionally nibbled a peanut, calmly watching the bustling tavern. But his attention wasn't on any guests or staff—he was staring directly at the nearly ended countdown on the system screen.

"01:52… 00:48… 00:23… 00:11… 00:03, 00:02, 00:01."

The moment the timer hit the final second, the red numbers stopped.

Kai's eyes widened slightly, fixed on the system interface.

Next moment, the system's voice echoed in his mind:

[Black Swordsman inheritance trial has officially begun!]

[System protection temporarily disabled. Host is currently in signal enhancement state.]

[Trial mission: Reach the 100th floor of the dungeon within the allotted time and remain there for ten minutes.]

[Mission countdown: 23:59:47]

As the prompt appeared, Kai sensed a chilling killing intent locking onto him from afar.

The source… was the dungeon beneath Babel Tower.

Feeling the bloodthirsty malice from the dungeon itself, Kai instinctively stood up from his seat. But before he could even steady himself—

BOOM—

A deafening rumble came from beneath his feet, and all of Orario began to tremble violently…