"Expedition and Titles" "Alright, let's take a break!" Drake stepped back, signaling a halt to the sparring match. Ais, though slightly unwi
"Expedition and Titles"
"Alright, let's take a break!"
Drake stepped back, signaling a halt to the sparring match.
Ais, though slightly unwilling to stop, obediently ceased her movements.
Ais had been training under Drake's tutelage for five days now, and during this time, she had indeed made significant progress.
Setting aside her improvements in swordsmanship, when Ais's stats were updated a couple of days ago, all four of her attributes, excluding magic, had shown substantial increases.
While the increase in her magic wasn't as dramatic, it still far exceeded what would be expected from normal training.
After all, the suppression armguards Drake had crafted also had an effect on the magical power within an adventurer's body. Under these conditions, her magical power naturally received a significant workout as well.
Even Loki was astonished when Ais's stats were updated. While it's true that Ais had just recently leveled up to Level 6 and was therefore in a period where stat growth was easier, the extent of her growth was still exceptionally unusual.
It's worth noting that for adventurers, especially those at the top-tier level, it's normal for it to take two or three years to increase their attribute values by only four or five hundred points.
Yet, Ais had achieved in just a few days what others might not achieve in several months.
Loki immediately grasped the immense implications of this event, and the most crucial aspect wasn't Ais's tremendous progress, but rather the individual who had helped her achieve it.
Of course, Loki was primarily thinking about how to secure the maximum benefit for the Loki Familia from this situation.
Drake, however, didn't pay much attention to such matters, and so when Ais asked him about it the following day, he told her that it was fine to tell others.
An adventurer's potential for growth is limited by their own "vessel." This "vessel" refers not only to their innate aptitude but also to their resolve to grow stronger and to their commitment to the life of an adventurer. The suppression armguards are merely a supplementary tool; whether or not an adventurer can truly grow still depends on the individual themselves.
However, for those whose "vessel" is sufficiently strong, the suppression armguards are indeed remarkably effective.
Unknown to Drake, Finn had already begun agonizing over whether to save up his money to purchase the Sure-Hit Spear or the suppression armguards. As for acquiring both, Finn's wallet simply wouldn't allow it!
He even went so far as to complain about why Drake kept producing so many amazing items one after another.
Looking at Ais, who sat on the ground completely unfazed, Drake handed her a waterskin. "I heard that you're preparing for your next expedition. You probably won't have much time for training, will you?"
Ais took a sip of water. "Yes, we're leaving very soon."
Drake replied, "I see. Then from tomorrow onwards, focus all your attention on preparing for the expedition! It just so happens that I also need to complete that order for your Loki Familia."
Yesterday, Loki had officially placed an order with Drake, spending a considerable sum of money to have suppression armguards custom-made for the Familia's core members.
Upon hearing the news, Hephaestus had rushed over personally, bringing up the incident with Bete from before, as well as Drake's assistance during the battle on Level 24, effectively shutting down Loki's attempts to haggle over the price.
As a result, Drake sold over a dozen pairs of suppression armguards at the price of top-tier equipment.
Loki had requested that this order be completed before the expedition, which is how Drake learned about the Loki Familia's expedition plans.
It seemed that the Loki Familia's primary objective for this expedition wasn't exploration of the Dungeon itself, but rather the training and strengthening of their members.
Speaking of which, in the original storyline, the Loki Familia's expedition had been aimed at entering Level 59 to investigate intelligence on the new species of monsters.
However, this time, Drake had already dealt with the Fallen Sprite fragment, and the information had already been passed on to the Loki Familia.
It was likely that Finn or Loki had realized the need to enhance the Familia's strength in the face of an impending crisis, which was the reason for this expedition.
After a moment of silence, Ais spoke. "I heard that your title has been decided?"
Drake nodded. "That's right, it was decided at the last God's Assembly. 〈Dragon's Crucible (Drogran Furnace)〉—it's a pretty good title, if I do say so myself. I'm truly grateful to Hephaestus and your Loki."
An adventurer's title is jointly decided upon by the gods; it's essentially a second name for the adventurer. Generally speaking, titles tend to be used more often than their real names.
The gods hold formal assemblies on a regular basis to discuss various matters that have arisen over a certain period. Of course, the most frequent topic is exchanging information about the excellent adventurers who have recently emerged in Orario.
Among the most important topics is the discussion and decision of titles for adventurers who have achieved level-up feats.
Logically speaking, titles are determined based on the adventurer's characteristics and abilities displayed before they leveled up. However, the gods who decide on these titles are a bunch of jokers.
They don't care whether the title is suitable or not, and they certainly don't consider whether the adventurer themselves might be embarrassed by it. For them, the most important thing is that it's amusing.
If you're unlucky enough to encounter a weak Familia or a god with little influence, you might very well end up with an incredibly embarrassing title.
Drake knew of a case where a six-foot-tall, muscular adventurer had been given the title of 〈Pink Heart〉, and every time his companions called him by that title, he wished he could just bash his head against a wall.
The most significant topic of the last God's Assembly was the titles of two adventurers.
One, naturally, was Bell. After successfully exterminating the Minotaur, he had successfully leveled up, having only been registered as an adventurer for a single month.
Before him, the fastest leveling-up record had been set by Ais when she was eight years old, a record of one year.
Bell, just as in the original storyline, received the title of 〈Little Rookie〉. This title wasn't so embarrassing that it would be mortifying to say out loud, which shows that Hestia had truly done her best.
The second adventurer who garnered the attention of the gods was, of course, Drake.
Since his fight with Ottar, hiding his level was no longer possible. However, Hephaestus insisted that Drake had only just broken through to Level 2, and that his great feat was the very fight against Ottar.
She claimed that his exceptional strength was due to his contract with a sprite. As for anyone who harbored doubts, she simply retorted that that's how ancient heroes were; there were plenty of real-life examples.
Hephaestus, after all, belonged to one of the most influential top-tier Familias in all of Orario, and she also had Loki on her side, lending her support. As a result, Hephaestus successfully secured the title of 〈Dragon's Crucible〉 for Drake.
Since the God's Assembly, adventurers outside have begun referring to Drake as "Dragon Crucible."
Ais spoke up. "It's a very imposing title, and it suits you perfectly. By the way, Finn asked me to ask you—would you be interested in participating in the upcoming expedition?"
Drake shook his head. "I'll be sitting this one out."
Ais nodded with a hint of disappointment, then fell silent.
Drake looked at her. "Don't worry about it. You've had enough rest. Let's continue."
Ais picked up Despair Sword, stood up, and charged towards Drake once more.
Drake sighed, deflecting Ais's attack while lost in thought.
Drake currently lacked nothing; he had no need for an expedition. On the contrary, his research into [Mystery] required a greater investment of his time and energy.
Moreover, Drake had a strong premonition that something was about to happen, and not in the Dungeon, but in Orario itself.
This feeling wasn't unfounded, as Drake had noticed a significant increase in the number of prying eyes observing him.
Just who was behind this?
Drake decided to uncover their identity as quickly as possible… before they could cause any real trouble!
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