On the sunlit beach, a long and heavy gunshot occasionally echoed.
"One headshot. Perfect."
Rika Minami casually placed the rifle beside the sun chair and spoke in a lazy voice.
"Looks like my shooting skills haven't declined."
"Stop worrying about those zombies. Co help put on sunscreen~"
Shizuka Marikawa, who had already untied the strings of her swimsuit and was lying on the mat, spoke in a coquettish tone.
Under the sunlight, her fair skin reflected an extrely dazzling sheen, giving people the urge to get closer.
"Didn't you say you wanted to wait for Drake to help you apply it?"
Rika Minami remained unmoved, crossing her legs as she teased her close friend.
"But he's taking way too long in the changing room."
Shizuka Marikawa turned her head sowhat indignantly. Not far away, the simple changing room could be seen with its door tightly shut.
"I'm almost getting flattened here!"
"Just wait a little longer."
Rika Minami also glanced at the changing room and shrugged.
"You have to give young people so personal space."
"Eh? But I'm also very young, you know."
"In terms of ntality… that is indeed true."
It was not until the sun was about to set, near evening, that the changing room door was finally pushed open reluctantly.
"It's already this late?"
Drake shielded his eyes from the light with one hand and looked up at the sunset over the sea, sighing emotionally in his heart.
High school girls…
How terrifying.
They were practically monsters that devoured ti.
Continuously spending ti with youthful, energetic bodies made it feel as though his reason was about to be drained dry.
Fortunately, Drake relied on his astonishing self-control and forcibly ended that chaotic battle.
Otherwise, he probably would not be able to challenge Skeletron tonight.
However…
Not far in front of him, there were still two boss-level "strong enemies."
"You really made us wait for quite a while."
Seeing that Drake had finally escaped from the clutches of Saeko and the others, Rika Minami could not help whistling and standing up.
"At this point, do you think Shizuka and I will let you leave so easily?"
After saying that, Rika Minami grabbed her close friend and pulled her in front as a shield.
"Eh, eh, eh?! Why am I in front of you?"
The airheaded blonde school doctor imdiately panicked.
"Didn't we agree that you would first go and witness Master's strength?"
"Sorry, I suddenly changed my mind."
Rika Minami whispered sowhat awkwardly.
"For this kind of thing… I'm not confident either."
"Shizuka, since you are a doctor, you should understand physiological knowledge better than , right?"
"I've only seen it in textbooks too… Ah, Master is walking over!"
"What are you two muttering about?"
Drake looked at the two close friends, who had started infighting, and smiled proudly.
"In that case, co at together."
"Do not underestimate the stamina of a Level 2 adventurer!"
Not far away, several heads poked out from behind the changing room door.
"Whoa… so this is what Master looked like when he was fighting us earlier?"
"This is the first ti I've seen Miss Rika lose so miserably…"
"After all, she is also a woman. Master is quite the powerful man."
...
After successfully challenging the Sunny Beach dungeon, Drake took advantage of the ti before nightfall to visit Hephaestus.
"You want to rent the neighboring shops?"
After hearing his request, the goddess was not too surprised.
She had also heard that Adventurer's Ho was doing extrely well.
Rather, if a Familia mber who had received her excellent evaluation at the Molten Festival opened a shop and no one cared about it, that would be the absurd part.
"I have no objection to this. As for the rent, just discuss it with Tsubaki. Most of the Familia's finances are managed by her."
"…Is it really appropriate to let soone who prices equipnt based on her mood manage money?"
"Ahahaha… Tsubaki also has a serious and delicate side."
Hephaestus smiled, then sized up Drake, whom she had not seen for over a week.
Although she could not use divine power at the mont, she could still sense that Drake had beco much more mature than before.
"It seems you have grown again."
Hephaestus suddenly said, "Do you want to update your Status?"
Drake calculated the ti and felt that it was indeed about ti to update his Status.
Since the last update, he had done several earth-shaking things.
For example, defeating various bosses, obtaining the inheritance of the Shadow Monarch, crafting many new pieces of equipnt, and so on.
This ti, he could probably give Lady Goddess a "small" surprise as well.
However, just as Drake was about to agree, the door to Hephaestus's smithy was suddenly pushed open violently.
The only person who dared to barge into the forge goddess's private room like this was another goddess.
"Hephaestus, look at this!"
The petite goddess Hestia, still wearing the Adventurer's Ho work uniform, proudly held up a jingling pouch.
"This is the salary Drake paid today! There's also a bonus for my hard work inside… Ooooooh?!"
However, after she saw Drake beside Hephaestus, who looked helpless, the latter half of her words went completely off-key.
"Drake, why are you in this woman's room?!"
"Lady Hestia."
Drake sighed, feeling that the image of the freeloader goddess was gradually overlapping with a husky or a silly roe deer.
"For the ti being, I am also a mber of Lady Hephaestus's Familia. It is normal for to be here."
"Ah… hahaha, that's true."
After reacting, Hestia revealed an awkward yet polite fake smile.
After seeing the posture the two were currently in, the petite goddess imdiately burned with curiosity.
"Hephaestus, are you about to update Drake's Status?"
"That's right."
Hephaestus said in irritation,
"If a certain soone had not broken in through the door, it would probably already be finished by now."
"Then didn't I co at just the right ti? I also want to see Drake's updated Status~"
"Hey, you cannot casually say that kind of thing!"
Hearing Hestia's request, Hephaestus imdiately beca serious.
"A Familia mber's Status is a secret for every Familia. For adventurers, it is even sothing related to their lives. How can it be casually shown to others?"
"Besides, you will also recruit Familia mbers in the future. Would you casually show their Status to others?"
Hearing this, Hestia placed both hands on her waist with complete confidence.
"I don't need any other Familia mbers. Having Drake is enough for !"
"You freeloader… Are you planning to rely on him to support you for the rest of your life?"
"Is that not allowed?"
Hestia sat beside Drake and drew circles on his back with her finger.
"I watched him grow up too, you know!"
"Lady Hestia, shouldn't that sentence be the other way around?"
Feeling a chill on his back, Drake could not help retorting.
"You are clearly the one I have always been taking care of."
"Guh…"
"However…"
After a pause, Drake spoke to the forge goddess beside him.
"It is fine if Lady Hestia takes a look at my Status."
"I believe she will not casually tell others."
"You child…"
Since Drake had said so, Hephaestus could only nod.
After all, it was Drake's Status. He had the right to decide for himself.
Hearing this, the petite goddess was deeply moved and pounced over.
"I knew Drake treated the best!"
"Move aside, Hestia. How am I supposed to update his Status like this?"
After chasing Hestia off Drake, Hephaestus finally beca serious.
"First are the basic abilities… Tsk, still as astonishing as ever."
Hestia leaned closer.
Since she had not recruited any Familia mbers, this was also her first ti witnessing such a scene with her own eyes.
"So many S ranks. Are ordinary Familia mbers like this too?"
"This child is an exception. His growth speed is extrely fast."
When ntioning Drake's growth speed, even Hephaestus could not help feeling proud.
"It has not even been half a month, yet you have touched the threshold for leveling up again, Drake."
"Is that so?"
Drake, who had expected this, smiled very modestly.
"Maybe it is just because I work relatively hard."
"If hard work alone could make people stronger, nearly half of Orario's adventurers would not still be Level 1."
Hephaestus gently rubbed Drake's head and continued looking further down his Status.
"As for Developnt Abilities… Hm? Your Developnt Ability actually leveled up?"
Stigma Alchemy — H
Enhances understanding and manipulation of elents and the microscopic world.
Greatly increases this ability's effects when consuming Soma.
Unlocks "Decomposition."
Unlocks "Shaping."
Developnt Abilities could increase in rank as an adventurer's understanding, research, usage frequency, proficiency, and other factors improved.
For example, when the most basic Mystery I was brought to its extre, it could even refine a Philosopher's Stone.
However, this usually required investing a massive amount of ti and energy into specializing in a certain ability.
After all, a Developnt Ability itself was an extension of a certain specialty.
"After leveling up, it unlocked Shaping…"
Drake had actually faintly felt over the past few days that his use of alchemy had beco more proficient.
Terraria had a massive number of items and tools for him to decompose and study. This was also a uniquely advantageous condition.
And then…there was another factor that could not be ignored.
His intake of Soma.
As the key to Stigma Alchemy, Drake had a premonition.
The more varieties of Soma he tasted, and the higher their quality, the faster Stigma Alchemy would improve.
This upgrade was both within reason and beyond his expectations.
"There have been children in the Familia before who trained their forging skills hard and eventually succeeded in raising their Blacksmith Developnt Ability."
"But yours is far too fast… Though compared to your rapidly soaring basic abilities, I suppose this is normal for you."
Hephaestus had already grown sowhat used to the things happening to Drake.
"What is Soma?"
Hestia, who had just learned about Stigma Alchemy for the first ti, asked a deadly question.
"That… is not sothing Lady Hestia needs to know."
"Eh… that sounds suspicious."
You freeloader, can you not grow a brain only in places where you shouldn't be smart?!
Fortunately, Hephaestus had already gotten used to ignoring her existence and continued updating Drake's Status.
"Your magic slots are still empty. It seems magic really depends heavily on bloodline and talent."
"And finally, skills…"
Suddenly, the movent behind him seed to vanish in an instant, and silence abruptly descended.
Drake sensed that sothing was not quite right and tentatively asked,
"Goddess? Did sothing unexpected happen?"
"…It is not exactly a big deal."
A few seconds later, Hephaestus's voice ca from behind him, filled with deep confusion.
"But… Drake."
"Did you run off to save a world during this period?"
On the record sheet, a brand-new skill was shining brightly.
Gift of Salvation
Grants rewards when extending aid to a world in disaster.
Makes it easier to travel to worlds currently facing disaster.
After seeing the information about this skill, Drake first froze.
Then his mind began spinning rapidly, and he finally reached a conclusion.
This might be…
A good opportunity to "lay his cards on the table" with the two goddesses!
---------
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