"From today onward, you are officially a mber of the Hephaestus Familia."
Inside the shop, hot and dry from the blazing forge, the red-haired goddess smiled kindly at the boy standing before her with his back exposed.
"You've grown up, Drake."
The black-haired boy nad Drake scratched his head.
"So I've already received a Falna? My body doesn't really feel all that different."
"That's because you've only just stepped onto the path of an adventurer. You're only a beginner—Level 1."
The forging goddess, Hephaestus, patted Drake on the shoulder encouragingly.
"Don't be too impatient. Even the rarest tal must be hamred hundreds and thousands of tis before it can truly take shape."
Drake nodded thoughtfully, his eyes shining with eager excitent.
It had already been more than ten years since he transmigrated into the world of DanMachi.
And today, he had finally received a Falna.
As long as he accumulated excelia and improved his abilities, he could continue leveling up and growing stronger!
"However, for mbers of our Familia, battle isn't the only way to accumulate excelia."
As she spoke, Hephaestus picked up her forging hamr once more and resud working the mold on the anvil.
"The Dungeon is full of complicated situations, and accidents can happen very easily."
"You can first accumulate excelia through forging, raise your level to Level 2, and then go adventuring in the Dungeon afterward. There's no need to rush."
"A smith with truly refined craftsmanship is also very sought after among adventurers."
As the goddess of forging, Hephaestus's Familia was extrely famous in the Labyrinth City.
The works made by the senior smiths of the Hephaestus Familia were honored in the market as the highest-quality products available.
Even first-class adventurers and powerful Familias had to think carefully about whether they could afford them.
Because of this, the Hephaestus Familia was one of the few organizations in Orario that could continue operating without relying on tributes from adventurers.
Although Drake had only just officially beco a mber of the Hephaestus Familia, before this, he had already spent several years learning the blacksmith's craft by the goddess's side.
In his daily life, he could already earn a little pocket money by repairing armor and weapons for novice adventurers.
"I understand, but I still want to visit the Adventurers' Guild first and familiarize myself with things."
Seeing the excitent written all over Drake's face, the red-haired goddess smiled helplessly.
"Fine. Consider these next few days a vacation. Just don't forget to bring food to that freeloader."
"If no one takes care of her, she might actually beco the first god in history to starve to death and be forced to return to Heaven."
The "freeloader" Hephaestus referred to was naturally her best friend—and also one of DanMachi's most iconic goddesses, the blue-ribbon-wearing Hestia.
At this point in ti, Hestia had only recently descended from Heaven and was both lazy and gluttonous.
Every day, she lived a carefree life of eating, drinking, playing around, and sleeping her days away.
It was no wonder Hephaestus used the word "freeloader" to describe her.
But as her best friend, she couldn't simply ignore her.
So she could only send Drake, a mber of her own Familia, to take care of her.
"Now that I think about it, it's about ti to go feed her—I an, bring her food."
Drake glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of the smithy.
It was rather strange, really. Even though it was constantly exposed to smoke and heat year-round,
the clock looked as bright and spotless as if it had just been bought.
Perhaps it was being unconsciously protected by the goddess's power.
"Well then… Lady Goddess, I'm heading out."
Just as he was about to leave the room, Drake suddenly rembered sothing and turned back toward Hephaestus, who was still swinging her hamr.
"Even if I beco an adventurer, I won't give up my training as a smith."
"One day, I'll forge sothing so amazing that even you will be astonished!"
"And when that day cos, don't forget the promise you made back then…"
"Yeah, yeah, I know already."
The red-haired goddess muttered without even turning around.
"We'll talk when that day really cos. At your current level, you're still far, far below ."
After the boy's footsteps gradually faded into the distance and disappeared completely,
Hephaestus finally stopped what she was doing and touched her slightly flushed cheek.
"After all these years, he still rembers that."
"The way this child feels about … could he really be serious?"
"If he truly forges sothing that surpasses my own work…"
A mont later, the goddess shook her head and dispelled the distracting thoughts from her mind, focusing her attention back on the hamr in her hand.
…
"Two portions of fried potato balls, please."
On his way down from Babel Tower, Drake stopped by a street food stall and bought two servings of fried potato balls.
These crispy, filling snacks cost only 30 valis per serving and were a favorite among many adventurers.
If they didn't lose their best flavor after going cold,
many adventurers would probably buy them as ergency rations when exploring the Dungeon.
"Should I start exploring the Dungeon right away, or build up my strength first…?"
As he walked, Drake couldn't help but ponder the question that had arisen in his mind.
Now that he had officially received a God's Blessing, if he wanted to level up, he had to accumulate excelia.
Excelia were similar to the experience points required for leveling up.
And just as Hephaestus had said, battle was not the only way to obtain them.
Anything worthy of becoming a feat of glory or achievent could count.
For example, forging a powerful weapon, researching a new kind of magic, or inventing a new item.
However, combat-type excelia—such as defeating powerful enemies—were the simplest and most direct way of obtaining them.
And during battle, one's basic abilities would also be trained, causing ability values to rise.
Compared to that, leveling up through forging was certainly much safer, but because the growth of one's ability values would be limited, one's actual strength would naturally fall short of combat-focused adventurers.
Just as Drake was thinking this over, a notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Detected that the host has obtained a "Falna." The Multiverse Travel System has now been activated!]
[Current number of worlds available for travel: 1]
"Hm?"
"A system?!"
Drake froze for a mont.
Then a tidal wave of joy surged through him!
After all these years, the benefit he should have received as a transmigrator had finally arrived!
"A Multiverse Travel System… that sounds incredible."
"And right from the start, there's already one world I can travel to."
"Let's see what kind of world it is…"
According to the information that flooded into his mind after activating the system,
Drake opened the system interface and found the new world waiting for him to explore.
But when he saw the na of that world, his whole body jolted, and he froze on the spot!
[Available World for Travel: Terraria – Calamity Mod]
User Comments
0 comments from readers