"However, the tactical system requires support from other types of weapons. Given the current economic situation—doing that feels like it would be extremely difficult."
"My efficiency in Dungeon exploration is still too low."
The boy explained concisely.
But Hephaestus had no intention of responding at all. It wasn't that she wasn't interested—rather, because she knew that once she answered, Ron's next line would very likely be: 'If there were kind-hearted people willing to sponsor weapons, that would be even better.'
Being fleeced by Hestia already gave her more than enough of a headache.
If even her Familia member Ron did the same…
Then an odd scene appeared: the refined-looking young man standing in front of the desk, and the mature woman sitting on the sofa with a deeply helpless expression, staring at each other.
Until finally—
Hephaestus waved her hand casually. "Was it that Hestia who taught you this?"
"…"
"Still pretty righteous of you."
He only felt his head buzzing.
She shook her head and relented. "Then tell me—what kind of weapons and equipment do you want?"
"If possible, I'd like to custom-make a brass shield. It has to be sturdy enough… and then a rapier—one with a blood groove would be best."
Ron answered decisively.
Souls-like wheelchair playstyle.
Shield poke.
The strength was absolutely solid!
Against any kind of monster, it allowed one to cheese the fight without taking any damage.
The requirements after shaping were also relatively low. A sufficiently tough brass shield, paired with weapons such as a rapier or a spear, could all achieve quite good results.
If this were placed in a Souls-like Dungeon, he felt it could resolve a large part of his own progression problems.
"No problem."
"As for the rapier, there are ready-made ones available in the weapon shop right now. But the brass shield— it might not be fully forged until the evening."
Hephaestus answered very straightforwardly.
It even made Ron feel a little embarrassed. He nodded seriously and expressed his thanks. "May I ask, how much will it cost to customize these two pieces of equipment?"
"I might not be able to come up with that much money in a short time…"
"You don't need to worry about the money." The woman stood up from the soft sofa chair, lazily stretching her waist.
Because she had no intention of asking Ron for payment in the first place.
As for the cost of forging the equipment, it would simply be deducted from Hestia's wages!
As the goddess in charge of forging, Hephaestus actually found it a bit hard to understand—how a heavy shield and a rapier were supposed to construct a tactical system.
However...
These things were all changes in the eyes of a goddess.
She casually added, "Once the brass heavy shield is finished, I'll have Hestia help deliver it back to you. As for anything else…"
"Doesn't really feel like there's much to say."
"Mm— I hope you can explore the Dungeon properly. In the not-too-distant future, on the stage that is Orario, I hope to hear stories about you."
"It should be quite interesting."
This was Hephaestus's heartfelt sentiment.
Despite his armor being severely damaged twice in succession, Ron was still standing safely in front of her. This meant that, setting aside 'the Dungeon's hatred' for the moment—
The abilities possessed by the young man before her would only be more mysterious than she had imagined!
"Thank you for your expectations, Lady Hephaestus."
Another round of freeloading, brothers!
Ron knew this very clearly.
If he wanted to completely conceal skills such as 'the Dungeon's hatred' and 'Revival' in Orario, that was simply something impossible to do.
What he could do was to become as strong as possible before truly stepping onto the stage that was Orario.
After leaving "Hephaestus Weapon Shop," he headed in the direction of the Adventurers' Guild, casually exchanging today's gains for Valis.
And there were also some things he needed to ask Eina about.
With the current exploration progress, relying on the drops from killing monsters meant that eating wouldn't be a problem, but if he wanted to save up some money, it would be extremely difficult.
To become a well-rounded Souls-like warrior with no obvious weaknesses, at the very least, the weapon setup had to be complete.
Many builds in Souls-like games from his previous life could be reproduced in the world of "DanMachi" as well—only, they required specially customized weapons with "traits."
A dagger with a bleeding effect.
A greatsword that could reduce a monster's toughness and defense, and so on.
"If this Dungeon completely follows a Souls-like art style, then I absolutely have to get these weapons prepared."
The idea was ambitious.
The reality Ron had to face was also very cruel: he was short on money—Hestia Familia was not like powerful groups such as Loki and Freya.
For the former, as long as you explored the Dungeon, you could receive a share of wages.
For the latter, everything was fully covered.
At his current money-making speed, even if Hestia worked two jobs every day and mopped the floor until it smoked, she might still not be able to gather these matching pieces.
"After exploring, leave some time for basic training."
"As for the rest of my free time—if I can find some way to make money, at least I won't be as strapped as I am now."
With such thoughts in mind, the boy once again arrived in front of the "Pantheon."
...
"Eina—"
"How many times have you checked the time today already? Are you really that eager to get off work?"
In front of the Adventurers' Guild counter, the young female clerk with short pink hair, Misha Flott, couldn't help reaching out and lightly poking her close friend's cheek with a finger.
She felt that her own complaints about how tedious the work was were already rather excessive.
Yet she hadn't expected that her close friend—who was usually serious and diligent about her work—would, every so often, keep frequently glancing at the clock in the guild hall.
It was extremely rare!
"Of course it's not because of that."
"It's the adventurer I've just been put in charge of. He came back at around eight last night, and today he's already been late for so long. I'm worried he might have run into danger in the Dungeon."
The girl puffed out her cheeks in protest at her friend's poking.
After just two brief interactions, Eina's impression of Ron was still quite good, and as the person responsible for him, it was only natural for her to worry about his safety.
Could it be that her advice yesterday had actually worked?
Today, Ron's exploration objective was just as he had said—within the bounds of ensuring safety, do his best to clear the first floor of the Dungeon!
That was a bit too conservative…
But just as the girl began to feel puzzled by this, at the entrance of the Adventurers' Guild, a familiar figure appeared, slowly walking toward her.
Eina raised her head.
Seeing Ron's refined face, along with the worried look he was wearing, she immediately felt helpless.
Good news:
Ron had safely returned from the Dungeon.
Bad news:
Was it likely that, up in the upper floors, he had once again run into a rookie-killer monster comparable to a "War Shadow"?
The girl was just about to put on a serious expression and carefully explain the severity of the situation, when she saw Ron place a magic stone of the same size as yesterday's onto the counter.
And then—hesitantly, he asked: "Um, Miss Eina, may I ask if there are any other ways to make money in Orario?"
Eina froze for a moment.
What she wanted to emphasize was the issue of safety, yet at this point she did not know how to begin. For a newcomer adventurer to be able to kill a War Shadow monster—the talent Ron possessed was absolutely superior to that of most adventurers.
Had he encountered some kind of special setback?
The girl's delicate brows knit slightly, but after a moment, she spoke in a tone like that of a considerate older sister: "Um, Ron… your Dungeon exploration…"
"…has run into some trouble?"
"With your talent, as long as you persevere, you'll definitely be able to realize your dreams in Orario. So—please don't talk about giving up so easily."
"Hm?"
Ron's brows furrowed slightly.
Let's just say—wasn't there some kind of misunderstanding here? After thinking for a moment, he added: "I actually meant during my free time after exploration…"
"To see if there are other ways to make money…"
"Miss Eina, did you misunderstand something?"
Then—he did not receive an answer from the girl. He only saw Eina's elf ears, which symbolized her identity, visibly covered by a flush of red.