"But developing a tactical system requires other types of weapons. With my current financial situation… that's going to be really tough."
"My Dungeon exploration efficiency is still way too slow."
The young man explained succinctly.
But Hephaestus had no intention of taking the bait. It wasn't that she wasn't interested, she knew that if she responded, Xyros's next line would probably be:
It sure would be nice if some kind soul sponsored some weapons.
Getting fleeced by Hestia was already a headache.
If his Familia member Xyros started doing it too…
And so, a bizarre scene unfolded: the clean-featured young man standing before the desk, and the exasperated mature goddess sitting on the sofa, staring at each other.
Finally,
Hephaestus waved a hand dismissively. "Did Hestia put you up to this?"
"…"
"Loyal, at least."
Her head was spinning.
She relented with a shake of her head. "Alright, tell me. What kind of weapons and equipment do you want?"
"If possible, I'd like to commission a brass shield. It has to be sturdy enough… and a rapier. One with a blood groove would be ideal."
Xyros answered decisively.
Souls wheelchair build.
Shield poking.
Absolutely solid in terms of effectiveness!
Against any monster, you could cheese it without taking damage.
The requirements were also relatively low. A sufficiently sturdy brass shield, paired with a rapier or spear, could work wonders.
In Dungeon, he felt this could largely solve his strategy problems.
"No problem."
"We have rapiers ready-made at the shop. But the brass shield, it might take until evening to finish forging."
Hephaestus answered readily.
It made Xyros a bit embarrassed. He nodded seriously in thanks. "May I ask how much these two custom pieces would cost?"
"I probably can't afford that much right now…"
"Don't worry about the money." The woman stood up from the soft sofa chair, stretching her slightly curvaceous but not at all overweight waist.
Because she had no intention of charging Xyros.
As for the forging costs, she'd just deduct them from Hestia's wages!
As the goddess of forging, Hephaestus actually couldn't quite see, how a heavy shield and a rapier would form a tactical system.
But.
These things were all part of the changes that interested gods.
She added casually, "Once the brass heavy shield is done, I'll have Hestia bring it back for you. As for anything else…"
"Nothing much to say, really."
"Mm. I hope you explore the Dungeon well. Not too far in the future, on the stage of Orario, I'd like to hear stories about you."
"That would probably be interesting."
This was Hephaestus's genuine sentiment.
Despite two serious armor breaches, Xyros still stood before her unscathed. This meant, setting aside the "Dungeon's Hatred,"
the abilities this young man possessed were even more mysterious than she'd imagined!
"Thank you for your expectations, Lady Hephaestus."
Secured another meal, boys!
Xyros knew very well.
Completely hiding skills like "Dungeon's Hatred" and [Rebirth] in Orario was fundamentally impossible.
What he could do was get as strong as possible before he was fully thrust onto the stage of Orario.
Leaving the Hephaestus Arms shop, he headed toward the Guild, planning to cash in today's harvest for Valis.
And there were some things he needed to ask Eina about.
At his current exploration pace, killing monsters for drops covered food, but saving any money would be very difficult.
To become a well-rounded Souls warrior,
he needed to perfect his weapon setup at the very least.
Many of the playstyles from Souls games in his previous life could be replicated in the Danmachi world. They just required specially commissioned weapons with certain "properties."
A short sword with a bleed effect.
A greatsword for stripping monster poise and defense, etc.
"If this Dungeon is going full Souls-like aesthetic, then I absolutely need to prepare these kinds of weapons."
The idea was appealing.
The reality Xyros faced was brutally simple: lack of money. The Hestia Familia wasn't like the Loki or Freya Familia, those powerful groups.
In those, you got a share of the profits just for Dungeon exploration.
Here, he had to cover everything himself.
At his current rate of earning, even if Hestia worked two jobs and scrubbed floors until they smoked, she still couldn't afford all that gear.
"Explore, then leave some time for basic training."
"In my other free time if I could find some way to make money, at least I wouldn't be this strapped."
With these thoughts, the young man arrived once again before the Pantheon.
"Eina,"
"How many times have you checked the clock today? Are you really that eager to get off work?"
At the Guild counter, a girl with short pink hair, Misha Flott, couldn't resist reaching out to lightly poke her friend's cheek.
She thought she complained about work being tedious a lot.
But she never expected her usually diligent, hardworking friend to be checking the Guild hall clock so frequently.
Very unusual!
"Of course not."
"It's about the new adventurer under my care. He came back around eight o'clock yesterday. He's already late today. I'm worried he might be in danger in the Dungeon."
The girl puffed out her cheeks in playful defiance of her friend's poking.
After just two brief interactions, Eina had a pretty good impression of Xyros. And as his advisor, it was normal to worry about his safety, right?
Could it be that her advice yesterday actually worked?
Today, as he'd said, Xyros's exploration goal was to safely conquer the 1st floor of the Dungeon!
That was a bit too conservative…
But just as this thought crossed the girl's mind, a familiar figure slowly approached her from the Guild entrance.
Eina looked up.
Seeing Xyros's clean features and his somewhat preoccupied expression, she felt a wave of exasperation.
Good news:
Xyros had returned safely from the Dungeon.
Bad news:
He'd probably run into another newbie-killer monster on the upper floors again, something on par with a "War Shadow"?
The girl was about to put on a stern face and seriously explain the gravity of the situation when she saw Xyros place a magic stone on the counter the same size as yesterday's.
And he asked, hesitantly,
"Um, Miss Eina, are there other ways to make money in Orario?"
Eina was momentarily stunned.
She wanted to emphasize safety, but now found herself unsure how to start. To kill a War Shadow as a new adventurer,
Xyros's talent was definitely superior to most.
Had he encountered some special setback?
The girl's pretty brows furrowed slightly, but a moment later, she spoke like a caring older sister. "Um, Xyros, is your Dungeon exploration…"
"having trouble?"
"With your talent, if you just persevere, you'll definitely achieve your dreams in Orario. So please don't give up easily."
"Huh?"
Xyros's brow furrowed slightly.
'Hold on, isn't there some misunderstanding here?' He thought for a moment, then added, "I actually meant, in my free time after exploring…"
"if there are other ways to make money…"
"Miss Eina, did you misunderstand something?"
And then he didn't get a response. He just watched as Eina's distinctive elf ears were visibly engulfed by a crimson blush.