After transmigrating into the world of DanMachi, parents, family—those things simply did not exist at all. His greatest concern was none other than the Despicable Outsider debuff.
As for Hestia...
Ron truly did not think anyone would dare cause her trouble.
And even if someone really did want to pick a fight with her, they would at least have to get past him first. As things stood now, the most likely hidden bomb was the Soma Familia.
So how should it be handled?
He already had a simple idea—direct physical confrontation!
Ron looked toward the girl whose image was gradually overlapping with his memories. He had no basis whatsoever to trust Lili; he had to be fully prepared for the possibility that this one might act as a double agent.
If selling information failed, it was entirely possible that she would turn around and report his whereabouts to Zanis.
With an easy smile, he said casually, "Thank you for the reminder, but I won't need any information regarding the Soma Familia, Miss Liliruca Arde."
"If you don't want Zanis to know about your private contact with me…"
"Then it's better to keep silent."
"…"
When the girl heard her name spoken from Ron's mouth, the smile on her face froze instantly. Relying on the Cinder Ella magic, she had operated up to now without ever being discovered by any adventurer.
Except here—only with Ron.
Lili tried her best to steady the turmoil in her heart, attempting to find even the slightest flaw in his calm, well-like-a-quiet-ancient-well gaze, yet what she seemed to see instead was an endless abyss.
She sensed an aura of extreme danger!
"Of course..."
"I believe there are quite a few adventurers in Orario looking for you. If you don't want the things you've done to be exposed, a smart person knows what to do."
Taking control of Lili would have been easy.
Ron did not do so, purely because he did not want to have too much involvement with her. Even if the Soma Familia truly intended to cause trouble, there was no need for excessive preparation.
As long as it was deep within the Dungeon.
He could prepare a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable surprise for those vermin!
"…"
Watching Ron's figure gradually recede into the distance, the smile on Lili's face looked worse than crying. What she truly could not understand was why a so-called "new adventurer" could know these things.
So then—
Ron's completely fearless attitude… could it be that everything had been within his plan from beginning to end?
But as long as it was the Soma Familia suffering misfortune, she had to support it. Perhaps, amid this turmoil, she could find an excellent opportunity to break free from this quagmire.
The girl murmured softly.
"Better if this Familia is wiped out outright…"
...
If the conflict were provoked in Orario, Ron would still feel a bit concerned. But if the main battlefield were placed inside the Dungeon, the Revival skill—usable twice—could resolve many problems.
When in doubt, Shadowfade—Twice.
"If I remember correctly, the Soma Familia should have two Lv.2 adventurers. The rest are all small fry—probably they wouldn't even be able to get past the aberrant monsters."
Clearly understanding the enemies he would have to face next.
Then, what Ron needed to do was to improve his strength as much as possible before the Soma Familia took action—at the very least, he had to raise all of his ability values to an A rating.
Continue to accumulate.
He did not linger in the Central Plaza. To avoid being discovered by the eyes and ears left behind by the Soma Familia, he detoured through the alleys and finally arrived at the branch shop on Adventurer Street.
Today had been a high-intensity Dungeon expedition.
Selling the dropped equipment to Hephaestus was not only more convenient, but also allowed him to maintain their relationship through this slow, steady approach.
"These are the armor and weapons obtained from today's Dungeon run."
"I might have to trouble Lady Hephaestus to help handle them," he said, looking toward the tall, red-haired woman who was inspecting the armor and equipment.
Ron's tone was sincere.
"It's no trouble. Once these armor pieces are repaired and put on the market, there will still be quite a few adventurers who like them," Hephaestus shook her head.
However, when her gaze fell on the handsome young man, her eyes filled with surprise. "Did the sun rise from the west today? How is it that the set of… equipment you're wearing doesn't have any damage at all?"
"Maybe I've been more steady lately."
There was a strong hint of teasing in her words.
Ron recalled the difficult explorations of the past few days. Ultimately, after adapting to the difficulty of a Soulslike Dungeon, the rate of battle damage could be effectively controlled.
And yet, he could still withdraw smoothly with plentiful gains.
In addition to the exploration gains from the past few days, he had already accumulated a considerable amount of Valis. It was about time to commission a weapon here.
When it came to quickly triggering a monster's break effect, nothing surpassed a greatsword.
Royal greatswords, Guts swords—given the craftsmanship of the DanMachi world, forging such weapons would certainly pose no problem. After a brief consideration, he took the initiative to make his request: "Lady Hephaestus."
"I may have to trouble you with one more matter. I'd like to forge a greatsword—there aren't many special requirements, as long as it can effectively break through monster armor."
"The budget is around 1.5 million Valis."
Isn't the weapon you're carrying already enough?
Hephaestus truly wanted to ask him that. Every time she saw Ron fully armed, her mood became uncontrollably strange—at least from her point of view.
Adventurers all had equipment loadouts suited to them.
Magic swordsmen generally paired light armor with a combat staff-sword; only warriors would choose heavy armor with a shield, along with a matching knight's sword.
Ron was different.
This guy carried any weapon he could get his hands on.
A dwarven hand crossbow, a rapier, a short sword, a full set of refined steel armor, a brass heavy shield—and now he wanted to add a greatsword on top of that. Just imagining such a scene—
Setting aside whether he could even use them all.
Hephaestus was genuinely curious: wouldn't all this equipment affect Ron's Dungeon exploration?
"No problem."
She did not refuse the boy's request and continued to ask, "As for the specific requirements?"
"The greatsword has to be big!"
"And if it can occasionally be used as a shield, that would of course be even better." Ron added, thinking about the Dungeon environments he might encounter in the future.
"Alright."
"Then I'll have it custom-made for you within a budget of 1.5 million Valis." As if taking care of a close friend's Familia child—Hephaestus' gaze was helpless.
After all—
A weapon with a normal production cost of 1.5 million Valis would sell for at least 3 million. But what could she do, having ended up dealing with Hestia?
"Thank you, Lady Hephaestus."
Gratitude had to be properly expressed.
Seeing the helpless look on her face, Ron felt he shouldn't be an eyesore here. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the girl sitting at the cashier's counter, taking a break.
He continued: "Then Lady Hestia and I won't disturb you any further…"
"Mm."
"Hurry up and take that one away—just looking at her is annoying!"
"…"
Noticing the somewhat weary expression on Hestia's face—and how she immediately perked up the moment she saw him—Ron decided to tell her about the dispute with the Soma Familia only after the dust had settled.
Given her personality, she would definitely worry if she knew.
A considerate Familia member, of course had to avoid that!
Ron did his best to maintain a normal expression. He took the initiative to extend his hand toward the girl and said gently, "Lady Hestia, I've come to take you home."
"…"
This was a question Hestia couldn't answer.
But the smile of eager anticipation on her face, born straight from the heart, could not be faked. She replied softly, "Ron, I've actually been waiting for you for a long time."
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