After leaving the damaged armor with Hestia, Xyros didn't linger at the Hephaestus Arms branch. He headed back to the dorms.
Sticking around there probably wouldn't help much.
But seeking out the war god Takemikazuchi and asking him to help improve his combat skills? That would only benefit his Dungeon expeditions.
"The problem now is, the Magic stat."
"You have to learn magic and use it frequently to raise this one. I don't have a broken skill like the original protagonist's either. Can all my stat…actually break through the S-rank limit?"
No Souls player would turn down the chance to be a stat-check monster.
But on the road to becoming one, Xyros still had a lot of issues to face.
First, the Magic stat. He had no way to raise it at all.
The fastest way to get magic in the Danmachi world was to buy a grimoire at an auction, costing tens of millions of Valis at the low end.
Even selling himself for parts wouldn't fetch that much!
Then there was the system's limitation on adventurer stats. With his Souls-like Dungeon player characteristics, could he even reach the theoretical maximum?
"Well, anyway."
"First things first: figure out how to get to the 2nd floor…"
Taking a turn at the end of the adventurer's district, Xyros finally made it back to the dorms. Just as he was wondering how to approach Takemikazuchi,
He spotted several familiar figures in the courtyard.
The first to catch his eye was a black-haired girl.
Her long, smooth black hair rested naturally on her shoulders. She wore a purple kimono-style outfit, accented by red shoulder guards.
But the most eye-catching thing was the girl's tall, slender figure.
Frequent Dungeon expeditions had left her long, fair legs with not an ounce of excess fat. Dark red thigh-high socks created just the right amount of… well, let's call it visual interest.
Yamato Mikoto.
Xyros naturally recognized this beautiful girl. She was a Level 2 adventurer in the war god Takemikazuchi's Familia, one of the higher-ranked ones.
Upright character. Polite demeanor.
Crucially, she possessed the gravity barrier magic [Futsunomitama], making her an all-around talent for Dungeon exploration.
As for the two others accompanying Mikoto,
The tall, burly man with short, clean hair was Kashima Ouka. This guy was the instigator behind the "Monster Tossing" incident in the original story.
The one with shoulder-length hair and a heavy fringe covering part of her face, looking a bit gloomy, was Hitachi Chigusa.
They looked like they'd just returned from the Dungeon. Takemikazuchi, their Familia god, was warmly welcoming his children home from their expedition.
"Probably not a good time."
Xyros knew basic social etiquette, after all.
He couldn't just pretend he hadn't seen the war god who'd instructed him yesterday. Xyros took the initiative to greet him. "Good morning, Lord Takemikazuchi."
"Hello."
Assuming it was just another resident saying hi, Takemikazuchi turned. When he realized it was the kid Hestia had asked him to mentor yesterday,
a flicker of surprise crossed the man's features.
Takemikazuchi's impression of Xyros was limited to what his friend had said, talented and that he'd been quite diligent during basic training.
"Xyros."
"You're…"
Not expecting Takemikazuchi to ask, Xyros suddenly found himself the focus of curious gazes from Yamato Mikoto, Kashima, and the others.
He didn't feel particularly self-conscious. "Just got back from the Dungeon. Gonna rest a bit, then get back to training."
"Oh."
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask Kashima or Mikoto. I'll be working at the fried potato stall from noon, so I won't be as available."
Even though the tutoring was technically over, Takemikazuchi was still willing to look out for his friend's Familia member.
As for why Xyros's Dungeon trip was so short? He didn't pry.
After saying his piece, he explained to his own Familia children, "This is Xyros. Member of the Hestia Familia. Our new neighbor."
"You're all young. Maybe you'll find some common ground!"
All connections.
Though they might not be much help for his future expeditions, given the Souls-like difficulty Dungeon he had to face.
Still, Xyros didn't refuse Takemikazuchi's goodwill.
He smiled easily. "Nice to meet you all."
....
"Armor repair…"
"Do I look like a pushover to you?"
At the Hephaestus Arms shop, the mature woman stared at the armor laid out on the mahogany table, pierced clean through by a blade. A headache was forming.
She'd actually been a little pleased just a moment ago.
Thought this girl had changed after recruiting a Familia member, actually putting effort into the work she'd arranged.
Hephaestus never imagined it was all just setting her up to be taken advantage of. Not only did she freeload weapons, now she was trying to mooch armor repairs!
To a smith, equipment hammered out by your own hand was as precious as a child.
Waiving the cost for Hestia had already come out of her own pocket to compensate the smiths. And how long had it been?
Now the armor was pierced through by some sharp weapon.
"But you're the only friend I have. I didn't know who else to ask… You can take the repair costs out of my future wages too."
The little goddess hung her head, looking like a nervous quail.
"Forget it."
"I also fronted the rent for your dorm. You still need to eat." The woman waved her hand in exasperation, but ultimately relented.
It's not like she could say she regretted having a friend like this, right?
Hephaestus couldn't bring herself to say something that hurtful. But as she carefully examined the extent of the damage to the armor, her brow furrowed deeply.
This was equipment meant to be sold on the shelves.
Its quality was absolutely guaranteed. Ordinary attacks couldn't damage it.
But looking at the state of the breastplate, she realized this was the result of an incredibly powerful force, one capable of piercing through it in an instant.
If the armor was breached like this, how could the wearer possibly be unharmed!
"Is he alright?"
Hephaestus frowned. The fact that this one was patiently waiting here probably meant the kid was at the Pure White Sanatorium getting treated, with no money to pay the bill.
Trying to prevent Hestia from reverting to her usual lazy self,
she shook her head with a resigned sigh and reached into the drawer for some Valis. But the answer she got made her head snap up.
"Xyros?"
"He's fine. He went back to the dorms to train…"
The girl answered without suspicion.
But Hestia's words did nothing to smooth Hephaestus's furrowed brow. It wasn't about the Valis, life was more important than money.
What truly surprised her was Xyros's condition.
Judging by the damage to the armor, even if it absorbed most of the force, the remaining impact should still have been enough to mortally wound a new adventurer.
Without immediate treatment, it would have been fatal.
Yet the result was Xyros was perfectly fine, even able to train normally?
Remembering how passionately the girl had insisted yesterday that her new Familia member possessed unprecedented talent,
Hephaestus felt a strong curiosity growing within her.
"It seems…"
"This Familia member you recruited is truly not simple."