Watching the palum scurry away in panic, Noah's gaze shifted slightly.
Orario.
A city that appeared prosperous and beautiful on the surface.
In reality, beyond the Evilus, there were even more shadows lurking in this city that remained undiscovered.
The Guild had established rules, but they were merely rules, not laws.
Even if powerful Familias committed misdeeds, as long as they didn't threaten the current system, they would at most receive minor punishments from the Guild.
Take the Apollo Familia for example.
Because their god coveted members of other Familias, they employed despicable means—threatening, intimidating, assaulting, and coercing others.
They used "War Games" to seize everything they wanted, destroying one weak Familia after another.
Even after all that, they only faced slight penalties from the Guild, which hardly mattered.
Weak Familias held no value to Orario anyway.
If a powerful Familia wanted to crush a weak one, the entire incident wouldn't even cause a ripple in Orario.
Some went even further, making deals with Familias operating in gray areas, while others outright colluded with the Evilus.
Liliruca Arde was just one of many victims of the city's dark side.
But she was lucky—lucky enough to plead for help from that seemingly gullible, foolish white-haired adventurer.
She was also unfortunate, dragged onto the stage of fate to become one of its actors.
Heroes always lose something.
Being saved by a hero isn't necessarily a good thing, it might just be a way to place you in a situation where you die more efficiently.
For instance, to unlock the hero's potential or make them mature overnight, the most effective method often involves the sacrifice of a companion.
....
Hephaestus Familia's base.
Noah reported the events in the Dungeon to Hephaestus.
The conversation was interrupted several times, but he eventually recounted the entire story.
The goddess covered her eyes and sighed softly.
"Noah, how should I even react to this?"
'This child... does he have some kind of constitution that attracts the Evilus whenever he enters the Dungeon?'
'Last time, this time...'
'For a ten-year-old who just reached Level 2, these incidents are far too extreme!'
Normally, she would pray for no abnormal occurrences when her children entered the Dungeon.
But with this boy, she'd almost prefer "abnormal incidents" as minor issues.
He hadn't even been to the Dungeon many times, yet two of those trips involved clashes with the Evilus.
This was just too much!
"I didn't exactly choose to confront them either. Looking at the results, we came out ahead, didn't we?"
Hephaestus's gaze sharpened.
"Noah, listen. While the Guild might reward us for such events, what I value more is your safe return."
The concern and worry in the goddess's eyes stirred a sense of guilt in Noah.
"Hephaestus..."
Noah believed he always analyzed the consequences before acting.
But he had completely overlooked his own god's worries.
Whether something should be done, how to do it, what it might trigger, potential outcomes—the best and worst scenarios—he considered all of these.
Yet, it seemed he had consistently ignored the bigger picture.
Focused solely on self-preservation, he never factored in the feelings of those who cared about him.
"I understand. I'll be more careful from now on."
"I hope you truly mean that." Hephaestus straightened up and suggested, "Well then, let's update your status."
Noah felt a flicker of anticipation.
His first expedition.
He'd experienced numerous small skirmishes, several major battles, and even a fight with the Evilus.
His stats should have improved significantly.
Moreover, during the expedition, he was responsible for maintaining and repairing a large amount of equipment each time they regrouped.
Through Truth Seeker, he gained substantial experience.
This made him realize something.
If he joined expeditions as a blacksmith and supporter, the efficiency of his growth would be greater than 1+1.
He would gain more experience than by exploring the Dungeon alone or grinding experience in the forge combined.
Taking off his shirt, Noah obediently sat on the chair.
Hephaestus gently pricked her finger, and a drop of divine blood fell from her fingertip onto the boy's status panel.
Even the God of blacksmith was amazed while looking at his status.
"Just from the changes in your stats, I can roughly guess how recklessly you behaved in the Dungeon."
[Name]: Noah
[Level]: LV. 2
[Basic Abilities]:
Strength: F386 → E445
Endurance: F341 → E445
Dexterity: F387 → E445
Agility: F402 → E445
Magic: C552
[Magic]: (Empty) [
Development Abilities]: Enhancement I
[Skills]:
"Truth Seeker"
Can appraise objects upon contact; the closer the contact, the stronger the effect.
While repairing equipment, there is a chance to gain insights from the equipment user's experience, leading to growth.
When crafting items, there is a probability the finished product will be one rank higher.
"Spell-Weaver"
Can directly manipulate magic.
Can directly manipulate elements.
"Denier"
Nullifies one lethal attack and removes all abnormal status effects. Can only activate once every 24 hours.
Noah looked at the printed status parameters, simultaneously recalling his various encounters in the Dungeon.
Because it was an expedition, he had been constantly running around carrying everyone's supplies.
He never expected it would boost his Endurance and Agility so much.
Even more astonishing was his Magic.
It had directly risen to Rank C, creating a huge gap with his other attributes.
If not for the experience gained through Truth Seeker increasing all attributes, the disparity between his stats would be even more extreme.
While ninety-nine percent of adventurers in Orario were specialized warriors, who would refuse the chance to be an all-rounder if they could?
It's just that most aren't blessed with that fortune.
"Though you just returned, I might as well tell you now. Recently, adventurers seeking you out have filled up our reservation list completely."
"Eh?"
Reservations?
He was aware of this system.
Hephaestus Familia's blacksmiths often faced this situation—too many orders, not enough time.
Some blacksmiths, overwhelmed by the hassle, set rules to only craft equipment for contractors.
Others implemented a reservation system.
Want a master's weapon or armor? Sure, get in line.
Moreover, not just any adventurer could apply.
At the very least, the blacksmith had to judge them as worthy of wielding their creations.
So far, only two people had officially commissioned him.
One was Alicia, another was Ryuu, and perhaps three more if you counted Ais.
On the return journey, he had finally fulfilled his promise to Ais—to custom-make a piece of equipment for her.
Before leaving the Dungeon, that equipment had been delivered.
However, none of these three had gone through the formal procedures, so his reservation record within the Familia had remained at zero until now.
But now, Hephaestus was telling him his slots were fully booked?
If he remembered correctly, the upper limit was 200 people.
'What in the world happened!'
"Why are so many people reserving me? Is it because the Guild publicized my level up to LV 2?"
The goddess scoffed. "How could it be because of that? Our Familia has plenty of LV 3 and LV 4 blacksmiths. If it were just because you're LV 2, you wouldn't attract this many people."
Not because of his level?
Had he made an appearance somewhere else then? That shouldn't be the case.
He had no such recollection at all.
Seeing his clueless expression, Hephaestus stopped beating around the bush and explained, "That little girl from the Astrea Familia has been enforcing justice all over the place with the sword you forged. After seeing such a masterpiece, do you think the adventurers of Orario would remain indifferent?"
Wha—
The little girl from the Astrea Familia?
A flash of fiery red crossed his mind.
Alise... was it? So that's why?
Indeed, he had agreed to craft a custom weapon for her precisely because he considered her influence.
He just never expected the effect to be this good.
Aside from members of the Astrea Familia, himself, and Tsubaki, no one should have known the true capabilities of Crimson Guardian.
Even so, it managed to excite so many people?
'Wait a minute, Noah, put yourself in their shoes!'
If it were him back in his university days, and he saw a lightsaber online that didn't need an acrylic tube, could he resist buying it?
Impossible!
Forget practicality; even if it were just for display, no boy could resist the allure of a lightsaber!
Ultimately, it boiled down to one thing.
How 'Cool' was that!
For adventurers, "cool" was usually secondary.
As long as it worked well, they'd happily wield a weapon shaped like poop.
But this time was different.
Hadn't they seen even the captain of the Astrea Familia using it?
How could its performance possibly be lacking?
With that last worry eliminated, what reason did they have to refuse?
Strong and cool.
Imagine a graphics card for 3,000 without lighting, and another for 3,200 with customizable RGB 16.8 million colors—just a 200 difference.
Of course, everyone would buy the RGB version!
Those interested inquired and discovered the creator of that sword was from the Hephaestus Familia.
That made them even more confident.
What? He's also the current record holder for the fastest level-up ever.
His achievement is solid as a rock!
A genius! Definitely a genius!
They had to have him craft a custom weapon!
Whoever wielded a weapon forged by him would become Orario's next hero!
Sometimes, falling into the trap is that simple—one look, one question, one search, one scan, and your balance hits zero.
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