"Hah!"
Bell stepped forward, facing off against a Killer Ant. It was the first time this monster had appeared since we descended to the 7th floor. Along with the War Shadow from the 6th floor, the Killer Ant earned its reputation as a "rookie killer."
Its appearance resembled that of a typical ant, but its size matched ours.
The Killer Ant was notorious for its sturdy exoskeleton and devastating attack power. Insects, in general, are known for their tough shells, and when scaled up to human size, that toughness becomes a significant threat. Its sharp claws could cling to any surface, turning them into deadly weapons.
Most adventurers succumb to this monster in one of two ways:
Their attacks are deflected by its armor, leaving them vulnerable to its claws.
When the Killer Ant nears death, it emits a pheromone to summon reinforcements. Failing to finish it quickly often leads to being overwhelmed by a swarm.
As Bell battled, I kept a watchful eye on our surroundings to prevent an ambush. But my worries proved unnecessary, Bell handled the Killer Ant with impressive skill.
The conventional strategy against this monster is to aim for the soft spots in its exoskeleton. Bell, however, went straight for the kill, severing its head with a single, decisive slash.
"...Nice!" Bell exclaimed, inspecting his dagger. His confidence was noticeably different from the timid boy I'd met before the Monsterphilia.
"Hey, Bell, I've been meaning to ask, where did you get that dagger?"
"Heh, want to know?" he said, clearly pleased with himself. I felt a pang of irritation but decided to let it slide. I'd acted the same way whenever I got a new weapon or piece of gear.
"This was a gift from my goddess! And it's made by Hephaestus Familia!"
"Really now."
"…Wait, aren't you surprised?"
"Just so you know, Hephaestus Familia has plenty of beginner smiths. They make weapons affordable even for adventurers like us."
"W-What?! Really?!"
"Yeah. Sure, they're a high-end brand, but not everything they make is out of reach."
"Oh… I see…"
Bell seemed a bit deflated. I felt a twinge of guilt for bursting his bubble.
"Well, to be fair, maybe Hestia-sama personally requested it. Let me see that dagger for a moment."
"Okay, but why?" Bell handed over the dagger.
"I'll appraise it for you."
"Wait, you can do that?"
"…I picked it up while helping out at the Guild when they were short-staffed."
------
Toki Ortyx
Appraisal Level 4
Trained by Guild professionals, Toki possesses keen insight into the value of most objects.
------
I inspected the black blade closely and…
"What the…?"
"Is something wrong?"
"This blade is dead."
"Dead? What do you mean?"
"It's so dull that it's practically worse than a kitchen knife."
Bell's face twisted in shock.
"T-That can't be true! I just used it to kill a monster!"
"I saw that, but… wait a minute."
"Now what?"
"This dagger, it has Hieroglyphs engraved on it."
"Hieroglyphs?"
"Hold on, let me decipher them…"
The black color made it hard to read, but as I traced the symbols… Ah, so that's it.
"Now I get it. This dagger is incredible after all."
"Really? But what's so special about it?"
"The Hieroglyphs inscribed on this blade, they're a Status."
"A Status?"
"Exactly. The blade's strength and sharpness adjust based on its wielder. And the more its user grows, the more powerful the weapon becomes. Moreover, it seems this dagger only responds to you, or more precisely, to someone blessed by Hestia-sama."
Bell's eyes widened.
"So, you're saying…"
"That's right. As you grow stronger, this weapon will grow with you. It's a custom-made, one-of-a-kind weapon tailored just for you!"
"A custom-made weapon… for me…"
I handed the dagger back to Bell. His hands trembled as he accepted it, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Hestia-sama… thank you so much…"
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Toki…"
"What's wrong?"
"I'm going to become stronger. Strong enough to be worthy of the knife my goddess gave me."
"That's the spirit."
With that resolve, we resumed our dungeon exploration.
But there was something that kept nagging at me. How exactly did Hestia-sama manage to acquire such an extraordinary weapon?
….
"S-S-Seventh floor?!"
"Y-Yes ma'am?!"
Enter Eina Tulle's scolding session, a time-honored tradition. This time, the trigger was our reaching the seventh floor of the dungeon.
Honestly, her reaction was completely reasonable. After all, it's only been three weeks since we became adventurers. Reaching the seventh floor so soon could easily be classified as reckless adventuring.
"You, you completely ignored everything I told you, didn't you?! I said not to overextend yourselves! The fifth floor was already dangerous enough, and now you've gone to the seventh?! Unbelievable!"
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Eina's philosophy is simple: adventurers should never adventure. By that, she means they should always prioritize safety and avoid unnecessary risks.
But... I can't fully agree with her. Sure, safety is crucial. But can you really reach new heights with that mindset? The strength I witnessed that day, the kind that set them apart from every other adventurer I'd met, wasn't achieved by playing it safe.
As I pondered this while Eina continued her tirade,
"It's true! My status abilities have already risen to rank E in several areas!" Bell blurted out.
"Huh?"
"Wait... E?"
Both Eina and I froze. E-ranked stats meant his base abilities were at least 400 or higher, a level of growth that was nothing short of extraordinary.
"Y-You're kidding, right? You expect me to believe that?"
"I'm not lying! Really! Lately, my skills have been improving rapidly! Oh, right! Toki can confirm it! His abilities are probably about the same as mine!"
And just like that, I was caught in the crossfire.
"Is that true, Toki?" Eina asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Actually, as Eina said, my highest rank is only H."
Technically, my Magic stat was close to reaching G, but there was no need to mention that.
"See? I told you!" Eina declared triumphantly.
"R-Right... but..."
"Look, Bell. The only reason I can keep up with you is because of all the training I did before becoming an adventurer. Even so, your abilities aren't exactly low. Honestly, I think you could handle the seventh floor on your own."
"Hmm... I still find it hard to believe..." Eina replied, her skepticism apparent.
"Bell, would you let me take a look at your status? Just to confirm?"
"E-Eh?!"
That bombshell came out of nowhere.
"Not that I doubt you." she added quickly. "But..."
"Well, it's not unreasonable." I chimed in.
"But isn't an adventurer's status something deeply personal? Revealing it is practically taboo..."
Bell hesitated.
He wasn't wrong. A status is like a roadmap of an adventurer's abilities, skills, and even their personality if someone knows how to interpret it. Sharing it could be incredibly risky.
"I promise I won't tell anyone about what I see. If your status ever becomes public knowledge, I'll take full responsibility. I'll even swear absolute loyalty to you if it comes to that."
"L-Loyalty?!"
"And... can you even read hieroglyphs, Eina?"
"Well, just enough to decipher abilities." she admitted.
It seemed the matter was settled.
"I'll keep watch to make sure no one else tries to peek." I offered, stepping aside.
"Thank you." Eina said.
While it would've been easy to sneak a glance at Bell's status, doing so would mean betraying his trust. And I wasn't about to jeopardize my first real friendship over something like this.
"Toki, we're done." Eina called after a while. I returned to where they were waiting.
"So... are you both free tomorrow?"
"Huh?" Bell let out a dumbfounded sound.
To summarize, Eina had accepted Bell's explanation about his rapid growth but was concerned about his current lack of proper equipment. She insisted on taking him shopping for new armor the next day.
"Thanks, but I've already commissioned a smith I know to craft my gear." I informed her.
"I see... What about you, Bell?"
"U-Um..."
"And I'm working tomorrow." I added.
"Great. It's settled then."
And just like that, their plans were made.
As we were leaving, I patted Bell on the shoulder.
"Congrats. Looks like you've got a date with Eina tomorrow."
His face turned bright red as he lunged at me in embarrassment.
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