Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon/NegativeTranslations
─────
"Your base stat growth is excellent, especially in Endurance and Magic," Hephaestus noted, reviewing the glowing text. "If you can maintain this pace, you should be able to max out your stats in about a month."
Gaining over two hundred total stat points in a single day ant hitting the cap in under thirty days was a mathematical certainty. For normal adventurers, stat growth slowed to an agonizing crawl the closer they got to the cap, rendering such linear calculations useless. But when looking at Lucian, Hephaestus possessed absolute confidence that standard limits didn't apply to him.
"It's not going to be that simple." Lucian shook his head.
During today's Dungeon run, the raw EXP he had manually converted into stat points totaled exactly 16 points, all of which he had dumped directly into Endurance. His natural base stat growth would inevitably plateau, and he needed to funnel his custom stat points into other hidden paraters. Realistically, he estimated it would take him at least six months to achieve true 'perfection' across the board.
But he couldn't rule out a sudden spike. Once [Ether Circulation] extended his operational upti and [Hero's Aptitude] permanently boosted his growth modifiers, the tiline might shrink drastically.
From now on, he couldn't afford to waste a single custom stat point. He needed to heavily prioritize his Latent Potential and his Computing Power.
Computing power was absolutely critical for constructing the [Ga Board]. His current cognitive processing simply couldn't handle the sheer complexity of the interlocking rules required to run the UI. A human brain's CPU was undeniably powerful, but the vast majority of that processing power was permanently dedicated to keeping the biological hardware alive. The surplus computing power available for active conscious thought was tragically low.
Even with [Focus Magic] overclocking his attention span, designing a massive, multi-layered conceptual construct like the Ga Board remained a monuntal challenge.
"Regardless, as long as you have a clear roadmap, that's what matters," Hephaestus smiled, securely locking Lucian's status data.
Although very few people in this era could read Sacred Glyphs, if a rogue god or elite agent managed to catch a glimpse of his exposed back, his entire build would be compromised. Having an adventurer's exact stats, magic, and skills leaked was incredibly dangerous; enemy factions could perfectly tailor counter-tactics to assassinate them.
Even though the Zeus and Hera Familias currently ruled Orario with an iron fist, violently suppressing the dark factions, the Evils hadn't been entirely exterminated. They were treated like rats in the sewers, but they still possessed high-tier, First-Class adventurers among their ranks. To cultivate strength of that caliber, those dark factions still secretly operated within the Dungeon.
Lucian knew exactly how they managed it. The artificial labyrinth, Knossos. This subterranean fortress hid a millennium of Orario's darkest secrets, remaining completely undetected until the start of the canon tiline.
"I'll be relying on you again tomorrow." Lucian sat up as the Sli Armant reford his coat.
"Um... do you have plans for tomorrow?" Hephaestus asked, her voice slightly stiff as she watched him prepare to leave.
"I need to research my magic and draft so new skills... but if you need , Hephaestus, I can absolutely make ti." Lucian smiled warmly. "Research is important, but I'm not a workaholic. I'd never refuse an invitation from a beautiful woman."
He saw right through ... Hephaestus felt a sudden wave of embarrassnt.
Despite being a young man—and she could tell with absolute certainty that he had zero actual romantic experience—he was incredibly smooth. At the very least, he was an absolute master of theory.
"Beautiful woman? Don't be ridiculous. Stop teasing your goddess," Hephaestus muttered, though she wasn't angry in the slightest. In fact, a secret thrill of joy blossod in her chest.
Because of the utterly chaotic nature of his arrival, her perception of Lucian had been uniquely skewed from day one. But having her feelings so effortlessly exposed still left her feeling incredibly shy.
"I just wanted to chat with you about forging. Rember? On your second day of training, I said we'd talk once you grasped the basics," Hephaestus deflected smoothly.
It was true; she had promised to discuss the philosophy and future of the blacksmithing industry with him. It had just been entirely forgotten amid their busy schedules until now, serving as the perfect excuse for an invitation.
"That works out perfectly. Actually, I have so forging theories of my own I want to discuss with you," Lucian replied thoughtfully, deciding to pitch his Ga Board concept to her.
Although the thodology was radically different, he genuinely considered coding rules to be a form of forging. While it fell completely outside the realm of traditional blacksmithing, Hephaestus was still the Goddess of Forging. Brainstorming with her would provide invaluable insight for perfecting the Ga Board's structural integrity.
More importantly, while Lucian's core concepts were brilliant, Hephaestus possessed an absolute, god-tier mastery over structural design.
"Forging theories?" Hephaestus blinked in genuine surprise.
That ant they actually had common ground to discuss. Seeing that Lucian hadn't dismissed the craft, and was actively looking to expand his knowledge within her domain, Hephaestus felt a surge of profound happiness.
She had known from the start that he wouldn't beco a dedicated blacksmith, which was why she gave him absolute freedom to choose his own path. The fact that he was voluntarily choosing to explore her craft filled her with joy.
"I should head back for now." Lucian smiled.
Suddenly, he paused. Reaching out, he gently lifted her eyepatch.
Hephaestus saw his hand move, her breath hitching slightly, but she didn't pull away.
The intricate red markings and the terrifying, blood-red draconian slit-pupil were fully exposed. Stripped of the eyepatch, the eye radiated an overwhelming, oppressive aura of divine intimidation.
Lucian knew exactly how the rest of the world viewed it. They saw a deformity that transcended the concept of 'ugly.' But in reality, 'divine flaws' weren't necessarily flaws. They might be terrifying, they might carry heavy burdens, but they undeniably possessed their own unique, lethal beauty.
Even grotesque alien designs possessed a sleek, biochanical elegance. Fortunately, Lucian had an excellent eye for recognizing unconventional aesthetics.
From the very first day—perhaps strictly because of that chaotic first impression—he had been deeply captivated by the intense aura of danger she radiated when the eyepatch was removed.
Mysterious and incredibly sexy. That was Lucian's honest assessnt of her true appearance. It was hard to deny; elaborate, symtrical markings like that carried a very specific, alluring charm.
"When it's just the two of us, I'd like to see the real you," Lucian said softly, gently brushing his thumb against her cheek.
"I'll... think about it," Hephaestus managed to say, desperately trying to maintain her composure, though she strictly avoided eting his gaze.
She felt like she was losing her mind. Why did she feel like his eyes were filled with genuine... admiration?
"I'll take my leave. See you tomorrow." Lucian smiled, retracting his hand, and walked out of the room without pushing any further.
The mont the door clicked shut, Hephaestus buried her face in her hands, her skin burning hot enough to forge steel.
Honestly, Lucian hadn't actually done much. It left Hephaestus feeling a profound sense of relief, yet simultaneously, a strange, inexplicable twinge of disappointnt.
Was she just teased, or was that an actual confession? Or was he simply stating his preference?
Hephaestus had no idea. Her brain had completely short-circuited, entirely incapable of processing the situation any further.
She slowly turned to look at the mirror in her room. The eye that had been mocked by the gods for millennia, the eye that made even her most loyal children gasp in quiet horror... for so inexplicable reason, it suddenly looked fiercely, dangerously alluring.
Perhaps, when she was with him, she didn't need to feel inferior anymore.
Back in Heaven, Hestia was one of the very few gods who could look at her eye without a trace of disgust. But Lucian was entirely different. He was the very first person to look at her eye and see beauty. The distinction between the two was as vast as the heavens and the earth.
─────
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comnts, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon/NegativeTranslations
User Comments
0 comments from readers