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2 CHAPTERS TODAY!!
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August and Liliruca Arde left the Blue Pharmacy behind and made their way through the streets toward the main forge of the Hephaestus Familia.
"August, why did you say all those things?" Lili asked, unable to hold back her curiosity. "Is a legendary Goddess like Artemis really going to die?"
It seed impossible. Could a goddess and her top Familia really be wiped out on a quest?
"She will," August replied smoothly.
He didn't sound sad or dramatic. He spoke about the prophecy as calmly as if he were talking about the weather.
"The monster they're going to fight is ancient... Even in the Age of Heroes, the Great Spirits and legendary champions couldn't defeat it. If they failed, the Artemis Familia has no chance."
August got right to the point. A monster that survived since ancient tis wasn't just strong; it was like a disaster waiting to happen. For a mid-tier group, defeat was certain.
"Oh." Lili swallowed, feeling a chill go down her back.
August kept his eyes on the road ahead.
"Lili, rember this—"
"...If an ancient monster managed to survive through the eras, leaving a trail of dead heroes and Spirits in its wake... You do not engage it. Unless you are a walking cheat code, going toe-to-toe with a boss from the dark ages is a guaranteed death sentence."
August delivered the harsh lesson. It was basic survival logic. You don't pick a fight with a raid boss unless you have the firepower to back it up.
"UNDERSTOOD," Lili nodded obediently.
It made sense. If legendary heroes couldn't beat an ancient monster, she knew she wouldn't stand a chance. Lili made sure to rember the warning.
But one word in particular left her puzzled.
"August, what exactly is a 'cheat code'?"
"A cheat code?"
August paused, trying to explain the gaming term in a way Adventurers would understand.
"It's soone with a talent or ability that blatantly breaks the rules of reality."
"Take a normal civilian and an Adventurer. The Adventurer has a [Falna]—they can use magic and skills. To a civilian, an Adventurer is a cheat code. But to an Adventurer, a true cheat code is soone whose magic or skills are so absurdly overpowered that they defy common sense."
August explained how power levels worked.
"Those are just small cheats. A real cheat code would be hitting a target from thousands of miles away, reading soone's soul, or punching so hard you split the sky."
"That is the kind of power that doesn't even pretend to play fair."
Lili thought a 'cheat code' just ant being a strong mage. But after hearing August's examples, it sounded like sothing only the gods could do. She couldn't imagine that kind of power, but it amazed her.
"Wait, doesn't that make you a cheat code, August?" Lili pointed out.
He had created a pocket dinsion and used a powerful healing spell on his first day.
"? Not quite," August chuckled, shaking his head.
"My spatial backpack is just a creative exploit. I'm just maximizing a storage skill. It's not really a cheat. Now, my healing magic? Yeah, I'll admit that one is a bit broken."
August knew his own abilities well. His real 'cheat' was the interdinsional portal. The [Spatial Backpack] was just a side effect. But the [Healing Fire] spell, which could heal almost anything, was definitely overpowered.
"I knew it!" Lili grinned.
"Guilty as charged." August smiled, not bothering to deny it.
Soon, they reached East Street and walked through the large double doors of the Hephaestus forge.
"Yo! What brings you around so early?" Tsubaki Collbrande called out from her anvil, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Just browsing." August grinned, holding up a hand in greeting. "Got any Magic Swords in stock?"
"Only the bargain bin trash."
Tsubaki hadn't thought he would really co looking for swords. Her Goddess had already warned her about August's endless need for weapons.
"Over there." She pointed her hamr toward a dusty crate in the corner of the workshop. "Take whatever you want. But no guarantees on the quality. They're all defective rejects."
Lili walked over to check the pile. She could tell right away they were junk. The swords were poorly made, and their magic was weaker than a basic [Level 1] spell.
"These are incredibly rough, August. Buying these is a total scam," Lili warned him.
"It's fine. I'll take the whole crate."
August didn't care if the swords were useful in battle. He wasn't planning to use them in the Dungeon. Instead, he would take them to modern Earth and give them to a team of scientists. If they could figure out how the magic runes worked, he could start adding magic to his modern weapons.
The idea of mixing explosives with magic runes excited him.
"By the way, where is Miss Hephaestus?" August asked, noticing the forge was unusually empty.
"Out on business," Tsubaki replied, returning her attention to the anvil.
"Gotcha."
August didn't ask any more questions. He started sorting through the crate of rejected swords and put them into his storage.
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anwhile, across East Street.
In a guarded, private room, two Goddesses sat across from each other, drinking high-quality tea.
"You seem to be taking good care of my Captain, Freya."
Hephaestus glared at the Goddess of Beauty. She still hadn't forgotten about Ottar chasing Tsubaki through the ruins, but Freya just sipped her tea like nothing had happened.
"I should be the one interrogating you."
Freya set her teacup down, her silver eyes locking onto Hephaestus. "Why are you actively pursuing the boy? He is unsuited for you."
She didn't avoid the question. Bell Cranel was her top priority, and she couldn't let Hephaestus take him.
"Tch. You're a Goddess radiating a suffocating aura of lust. What do you want with an innocent kid?" Hephaestus shot back.
"If you haven't claid him yet, just back off and let soone else give him a ho."
Hephaestus wanted to recruit the boy. A heroic soul was rare, and with her help, he could achieve great things.
"I said, he is not suited for you," Freya repeated, her voice dropping to a dangerously calm whisper.
"Right. Because your freaky eyes can literally read these kids' souls." Hephaestus scoffed.
Freya was on a whole different level. She had a passive divine power that let her see the strength of a mortal's soul without breaking the Divine Contract. It was an obvious cheat.
"So, you figured it out..."
Freya paused for a mont. She hadn't expected the blacksmith to figure out her biggest secret.
It annoyed her. Her Soul Sight was her greatest advantage, allowing her to find and gather the most talented people in Orario.
"Are you going to expose ?"
Freya leaned back, waiting to see if Hephaestus was going to use this for blackmail or drag her in front of the Guild.
"No."
Hephaestus took a slow sip of her fruit tea.
Expose her? That would be foolish. Freya found the boy using her own powers. If Hephaestus started revealing divine abilities, her own skill at making divine weapons would also be questioned. She didn't want that.
"If that's all you have to say, this eting is over," Hephaestus stated, setting her cup down.
"Na your price. How much Valis is it going to take for you to drop your pursuit of the boy?" Hephaestus cut straight to the extortion.
They were immortal gods who had lived for ages. There was no reason to avoid the topic. Freya wanted the hero for herself, and Hephaestus wanted paynt to step aside.
"Five hundred million Valis."
Freya didn't even blink.
Five hundred million was an enormous amount—enough to bankrupt several mid-level Familias. But for the Goddess of Beauty, it was nothing.
"Damn. You really are loaded."
Hephaestus hadn't expected Freya to offer half a billion Valis so easily. The Freya Familia was powerful and expensive to maintain, but Freya could still spend this much without worry.
"I accept your terms."
She had bought the first information from August for ten million Valis. Selling it for five hundred million was the best profit she'd ever made. Her family's budget had just grown significantly.
"A pleasure doing business."
Freya noted how quickly the blacksmith agreed.
"You never planned to fight for him, did you?" Freya realized. Hephaestus probably knew that starting a bidding war or an actual fight over the boy wasn't worth it.
Hephaestus just smiled and took another sip of her tea, neither confirming nor denying it.
Freya's gaze shifted toward her cup.
"You bought the intelligence on the boy directly from Hestia's child, didn't you?"
The sudden question caused Hephaestus's hand to flinch, her teacup rattling slightly against the saucer.
"I have never told a single soul about my Eyes. Aside from a few ancient fossils in Heaven, nobody knows how my authority works."
"Yet, sohow, you knew..."
"Which brings back to the forge. That day, Hestia's rookie looked at once and imdiately generated a passive charm resistance."
Freya started to put the clues together out loud. Her mind operated with terrifying precision.
She was sure Hephaestus didn't have the resources to discover her Soul Sight. That ant the information had to co from August.
"That boy... he isn't from this world, is he?"
Freya dropped the final puzzle piece.
Even Ottar, standing silently by the door, stiffened. His Goddess had just casually accused a rookie of being an interdinsional traveler.
"You guessed it?"
Hephaestus set her tea down. Freya was just too clever. How did she figure it out so easily?
When the blacksmith stayed quiet, Freya smiled, knowing she was right.
"A two-hundred-million Valis order for potions at the Blue Pharmacy requires a massive supply chain. My Familia tracks those bulk herb movents."
"I was incredibly curious where all those potions were disappearing to."
"Combine that logistical nightmare with the rumors that exploded across the taverns last night—the rumor that Hestia blatantly blessed her child with Divine Power..."
Freya's silver eyes focused on Hephaestus, showing her sharp intelligence.
"I thought long and hard about how Hestia could possibly bypass the Divine Contract to grant a blessing without getting deported."
"The answer is clear. She didn't do it here."
"Hestia followed that boy back to his world. A world completely disconnected from ours. And in that world, where the Divine Contract doesn't exist, her powers are unsealed."
"Am I wrong, Hephaestus?"
Freya smiled. The mystery was solved.
Hephaestus stayed silent. She hadn't thought Freya could figure out the whole interdinsional plan just from potion shipnts and a tavern rumor. Still, August and Hestia hadn't really tried to hide it.
"So what if you know?"
Hephaestus finally spoke, admitting defeat.
Yes, August was from another dinsion. Yes, they had a private, unsealed playground.
"Are you plotting to steal him too?" Hephaestus taunted, flashing a mocking grin.
"Tch. Don't make laugh."
"If I'm not mistaken, that boy already knows exactly who you are." Hephaestus leaned forward, delivering the final blow.
"He knows the mythology of his world. He knows the stories. He knows exactly what kind of Goddess the 'Beautiful Freya' truly is."
"And because he knows you, he will never let you near."
Hephaestus had the final advantage. August knew all the stories about the Norse Goddess of Beauty, including her secrets. He had no interest in getting involved with her.
"Tch."
Freya's smile vanished instantly.
"We're leaving, Ottar."
She stood up and walked to the door. She didn't want to hear anything else. Hephaestus was right—August knew who she really was, and that ant she had no chance with him.
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