Luki stared at the status sheet before him, the numbers engraved on his Falna always gave him a strange sense of satisfaction.
No matter how many times he checked, the sight was similar to looking at a character's stat sheet in a game. There was always room to grow, and when the values weren't rounded up, it felt as if something was out of place.
It had been two months since his last Dungeon dive. During that time, he dedicated himself to daily training, and the results were clear.
Name: Luki Bryan
Level: 1
Attributes:
Strength (STR): 499 E
Endurance (END): 599 D
Dexterity (DEX): 450 E
Agility (AGI): 450 E
Magic (MAG): 0 I
Skills: Tireless Explorer I
Magic: None
Bound Equipment: Hestia's Blade
His Dexterity and Agility had practically doubled, while Strength reached the peak of rank E. Endurance, although not as much as the other attributes, also showed solid growth, enough to reach rank D, becoming his first stat in what was considered the high stage.
The Falna ranks were divided into ten levels, from the lowest, I, to the highest, S. This scale also defined two distinct stages of power among adventurers:
Low: I > H > G > F > E
High: D > C > B > A > S
This structure carried another truth: level up.
For it to happen, two requirements had to be met, and it was precisely this obstacle that kept most of Orario's adventurers from reaching level 2.
The first and most famous was the Great Achievement. Only by performing extraordinary feats, such as defeating much stronger enemies, could an adventurer acquire the High-Level Excelia required to break this barrier.
However, there was a prior condition: at least one attribute had to reach rank D or higher. Something Luki had already fulfilled.
If he wanted, he could level up immediately and even break the record set by Ais Wallenstein, who had reached level 2 in just one year. Something that until now he doesn't know how he got it.
But that wasn't his goal. Forcing evolution now would be a waste. The smarter path was to extract the most from the potential offered by his current level, pushing his stats to the limit of 999 before seeking the next stage.
Go great or go home, or something like that.
Either way, that wasn't the change that drew his attention the most.
A new tab had appeared in his Falna: Bound Equipment.
'So that's it... Hephaestus's living weapons really are special. I thought in the original they were just unbreakable weapons, but this one can interact directly with the Falna...'
— Hey, wait a second... Hestia's Blade? That wasn't the name I chose. — Luki commented with a mischievous smile on his lips.
Hestia approached from behind and wrapped her arms around his neck.
— Well, since the names you suggested were all terrible, I took the liberty of naming it. And honestly, I thought this one was perfect.
— Really? — he raised an eyebrow, feigning indignation. — Because I still think Cuddly Bunny had way more impact. Everyone already has a Reaper or Blood Drinker. But who could withstand the HU-MI-LI-A-TION of being defeated by... Cuddly Bunny?
— Hihihi~ Is that so?~ — Hestia laughed, pressing her face against his, clearly enjoying the provocation.
Perhaps because Hephaestus already knew about their relationship — after all, she was the one who had warned Hestia about her own feelings — and because Tsubaki had likely already noticed the obvious signs, the goddess no longer seemed worried about hiding her displays of affection in front of them.
— Hey! Cut that out, you two! — complained Tsubaki, crossing her arms with a sharp look. — I didn't come here to play third wheel!
Hestia clung even tighter to Luki, replying immediately in a tone full of provocation.
— Hmph! What's wrong? Jealous because I have my Luki and you don't?
She then squeezed the boy hard, pressing her cheeks against his as if marking territory.
'That's for you to learn to stay away from my Luki, you gorilla!'
Whether it was coincidence or not, Tsubaki's face darkened instantly. The veins in her arms bulged, and she looked one step away from exploding.
Meanwhile, Hephaestus observed the scene in silence, her expression unreadable. For a moment, she seemed about to smack both of them...
— Ahhh... Lady Hephaestus, could you explain this here? — Luki interrupted, raising the second sheet he had in his hands.
Immediately, all attention in the room turned to him. The sheet was identical to his own attributes, but this time, it wasn't Luki being evaluated.
Name: Hestia's Blade
Level: 1
Attributes:
Sharpness (SHA): 0 N
Durability (DUR): 0 N
Form (FOR): 0 N
Affinity (AFF): 0 N
Activity (ACT): 0 N
Traits: Blessing of the Goddesses of Home and Crafts L; Growth, Evolution and Transformation L; Bond (Luki Bryan) L.
— This is... the Falna of the weapon? — asked Tsubaki, surprised. Even she seemed unaware of it.
— That's what it looks like. When Lady Hephaestus mentioned the sword would "grow with me," I wasn't imagining something this literal. — Luki frowned.
— Hey, Hephaestus, did you change the way this is registered? — Hestia intervened, with a tone that made both Luki and Tsubaki suspicious. — I don't remember these terms.
The two shot her strange looks. The way she spoke, it seemed she knew more than she was admitting.
— What? — Hestia huffed. — We've been friends since Tenkai, of course she had already told me. In fact, she made me a weapon too.
— Wait, you have a weapon?! — Luki's eyes widened.
— Yes, a divine spear. I got jealous of Athena... she always strutted around with hers and looked amazing. So I asked Hephaestus to make me one too.
— But... — Luki could already see where this was going.
— But I realized I don't like fighting. I ended up retiring the spear. It's probably still hanging on my bedroom wall... — she muttered, embarrassed. — Not to mention it was bigger than me. Ridiculous to walk around with it.
— Anyway, enough about the past. — Hephaestus cut in, regaining seriousness. — What matters now is understanding how the weapon's Falna works. Pay attention, Tsubaki. It'll be useful for the day you try creating something like this.
— Yes! — Luki and Tsubaki answered in unison.
Hephaestus raised the sheet for everyone to see and pointed at the Level field.
— The name is self-explanatory, so I'll get straight to the point. Just like adventurers, my weapons also have levels. They grow along with their owners. But unlike you, a weapon can only advance to the next level after reaching your maximum potential, which means, reaching the limit of all its attributes.
— Eh, that's not a problem. I was already going to train everything anyway. — Luki replied with a half-smile.
— That's the mistake. — the goddess retorted, serious. — The weapon grows with its owner. While the sword doesn't level up, you won't be able to either... and the reverse also applies.
— Ah... — Luki paled. — Now that's a problem.
He now needed twice the effort to grow stronger: his own Excelia and that of the sword.
The worst part was the obvious disparity between the two. He had already accumulated a considerable level of strength, while the blade was... at absolute zero.
That meant that even when he was ready to level up, he would still have to spend a good amount of time "farming Excelia" just for the sword.
— One more thing... the Great Achievement system also applies to the weapon. In other words, you must defeat a powerful enemy using it, only then will you be able to advance. — Hephaestus explained.
— That's not a problem, I was going to use it anyway... wait. Don't tell me...
— The catch is that, being a sword, it only recognizes other "sword wielders" as worthy opponents. And since monsters don't wield swords, that means you'll have to defeat an adventurer stronger, more skilled, and more experienced than you, in direct combat. Deal with it.
Luki's expression changed instantly. His face resembled that of a child who tears open a Christmas gift in excitement... only to find a pair of socks.
Adventurers weren't like monsters. They thought. They used weapons and armor. They knew when to retreat if the fight wasn't in their favor. And worse: Luki had never been a pure swordsman. He only wielded the blade because it was the weapon he was most used to.
And now Hephaestus was telling him he'd have to face a version of himself... only faster, stronger, and more skilled? No, thanks.
— Let's just... skip that part. — he muttered, defeated.
— Okay, now let's talk about the attributes. — Hephaestus slid her finger down the sheet. — Just like you, my living weapons also have five attributes. They vary depending on the weapon type — after all, hammers don't need Edge. In short, they are:
Sharpness (SHA): determines the sharpness of the blade. The higher it is, the easier it cuts.
Durability (DUR): affects the material's resistance. As it increases, the weapon gradually becomes sturdier, eventually even transforming into a metal superior to the original.
Form (FOR): influences weight and design. As the user grows, the definition of an "ideal weapon" changes, and this attribute exists to adapt the blade to that evolution.
Affinity (AFF): measures magical conductivity. At high values, the weapon can even work as a magic catalyst, almost like a mage's staff. Of course... useless for those who can't use magic.
— And that's it. — she concluded.
— Uhm, you forgot one. This so-called Activity. What does it do?
— Ah, that? — Hephaestus gave the sheet a quick glance, then a sideways look at the sword, before fixing Luki with an enigmatic smile. — That's a little secret. Just know that it's a useless attribute, it doesn't affect the weapon's power in any way. Also, it's the only one that doesn't need to hit the limit for the sword to evolve. Just focus on the first four.
She leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, with the typical expression of someone who had just dropped a meaningless riddle.
— But... if I were you, I'd pay close attention to it. You never know what might happen. — she added offhandedly.
— Ha-ha, very funny, Mrs Master of Wizards. — Luki grumbled, already frustrated with the goddess's theatrics.
'Weren't you supposed to be the "serious big sister" or the "bossy hot secretary"? Where the hell did this mysterious aura come from all of a sudden?'
While Luki drifted in thought, Tsubaki, who had her own doubts, raised her hand.
— I assume those letters after the numbers are equivalent to Falna ranks... but why are they different? What's the sequence?
— Ah... that? Well... — Hephaestus looked caught off guard. From her face, she wasn't too keen on answering.
That's when a muffled laugh escaped Hestia. She covered her mouth with her hand, but soon she was shaking, nearly out of breath.
— Hestia...? — Tsubaki gave her a curious look.
— Nothing, nothing... it's just... — the goddess tried to breathe deeply, still laughing. — It's just that a certain someone threw a tantrum because she wanted her weapons to be "suuuuuper unique and suuuuuper special". So instead of using the standard Falna system, she went ahead and invented her own!
Tsubaki's and Luki's eyes widened at the same time.
'Hephaestus...? Throwing a tantrum?!'
Hephaestus's face flushed bright red when Hestia exposed that embarrassing detail from her past. Without giving them time for more questions, she quickly stepped forward, grabbed Luki's equipment, and shoved it all into his arms.
— Alright! Alright! Lesson's over for today. We'll continue tomorrow. — she said quickly, with a tense smile.
— Hey, but wait, I still haven't—
— Tomorrow. — she cut him off firmly, pushing him toward the door.
Before Luki could resist, he was shoved outside. The door slammed shut behind him, and Hephaestus leaned against it, letting out a long sigh of relief.
— Hahh… that was close...
Tsubaki opened her mouth, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
— So, boss, about tha—
Suddenly, her mouth was sealed by a veil of multicolored light, shimmering like a rainbow. It was pure divine power, vibrating in the air.
Tsubaki's eyes widened as she tried to speak, but no sound came out.
Hephaestus fixed her with a serious stare, the blush still burning on her cheeks.
— Not. One. Word. About this. Capiche?
Tsubaki could only nod, swallowing hard.
Hephaestus let out another long sigh, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers. When she finally spoke, her voice was low but carried undeniable authority:
— And where do you think you're going...?
Everyone in the room turned just in time to see Hestia tiptoeing toward the door, trying to blend into the background as if she were invisible.
— I-I was just... going to check on Luki, you know? — she muttered, sweating nervously, forcing an innocent smile.
Silence.
Hephaestus didn't answer. Instead, she slowly rolled up her sleeves, the sound of fabric folding echoing in the room. Then she took one step. Another. Each time closer.
Hestia started backing away, raising her hands defensively, panic growing in her eyes.
— C-come on, Hephaestus, it was just a joke! I swear! I'm sorry! Soooorry!
The forge goddess stopped for a moment, her expression hidden by the shadow of her hair. Then she lifted her head and roared:
— HESTIAAAA!
— KYAAAAA! — Hestia shrieked and bolted down the hallway, running as if her life depended on it.
Her fate... remained uncertain.