Hephaestus's Weapon Shop.
Hephaestus felt she should have gone to this Denatus. After all, the information she got from her detailed conversation with Loki yesterday was quite limited.
However, she still vaguely guessed that Zephyr and Zald might share a skill of a similar nature. Perhaps, she could dig up more key information from Zephyr's alias.
It was just that...
Hephaestus looked at the girl sitting on the sofa before her, her eyes filled with helplessness. If possible, she really didn't want to see her.
Hestia.
She had black hair tied into twin tails and was quite short, yet her bust size was one that even Hephaestus herself couldn't compete with.
This friend, whom she had been on quite good terms with back in Heaven, was currently slumped on the leather sofa in her office.
"So..."
Hephaestus propped her hands on the edge of her desk, feeling a headache coming on.
"Tell me, what on earth are you thinking? Suddenly coming to the Lower World like this..."
"Don't say that."
Hestia sized up the office furnishings, her posture indescribably lazy.
"Hephaestus, you have no idea how boring Heaven is. I felt like I was going crazy. Everyone I know has come to the Lower World. So, I thought I'd come to Orario to see you."
To be honest, the moment she arrived in Orario, Hestia already regretted it. At least in Heaven she could stay cooped up at home, but after sealing her Arcanum to come to the Lower World, she had to worry about basic survival all by herself.
Although she didn't say it explicitly, Hestia's posture, with her body sunk deep into the sofa, made her intentions perfectly clear—she was going to sponge off her here.
Hephaestus's lips couldn't help but twitch.
But she couldn't just kick her out, could she?
After all, they indeed had a deep friendship back in Heaven. Furthermore, Hestia had no foundation upon arriving in Orario. If she ignored her, she probably wouldn't even be able to afford food.
Hephaestus shook her head and said in a weary tone, "You can stay here for now. Once you establish your Familia, you'd better move out quickly."
"Hehe. You're still the best."
Having received her permission, Hestia's eyes lit up.
Rubbing her hands together, she eagerly approached the desk and asked, "By the way, what about Zeus and Hera? Also, has anything interesting happened in Orario lately? Share it with me. I'm dying of curiosity."
Hephaestus's feelings were somewhat complicated. She could hardly just say that Zeus and Hera had been driven out by Loki and Freya working together twelve years ago, could she?
As for interesting things...
Hephaestus recalled the Adventurer that Loki had brought along yesterday, whose way of thinking was quite novel.
He was given an evaluation that his talent surpassed that of Alfia. And he was suspected of possessing a skill like Zald's.
Hephaestus's face showed no significant change in expression, only the corners of her lips curving slightly into a faint arc. "There really is."
"Eh?"
When her gaze landed on Hestia, her tone became uncharacteristically serious. "You just arrived in Orario, so you might not know. Actually, twelve years ago, the Zeus Familia and the Hera Familia failed in their expedition to subjugate the Black Dragon. They suffered heavy losses and were eventually driven out of Orario by the combined forces of Loki and Freya."
Hephaestus kept it as concise as possible, but the information carried in her words was quite heavy.
"Ah?!"
Hestia's eyes widened and the lazy smile that had been on her face vanished.
Zeus, Hera.
These two gods, who had good relationships with her back in Heaven and were existences that other gods would avoid, had actually stumbled in Orario?
Hestia pursed her lips, anger surging inside her but she knew in her heart that the living space in Orario was only so large, and survival of the fittest was the underlying logic. There was simply no way to force otherwise.
Most importantly, just being driven out of Orario meant the gods wouldn't go to extremes.
Thinking of this, Hestia's thoughts quickly cleared. She raised her face to look at Hephaestus, her face wearing a bitter smile. "So that's how it is. However, Hephaestus, what you were about to say just now shouldn't have been about Zeus and Hera, right? Judging by your tone, it feels like something that happened recently and left a deep impression."
"Mm." Hephaestus nodded.
As for telling her the details about Zephyr directly? That was definitely out of the question.
Back in Heaven, Hestia and Loki were famously at odds, all the gods knew about their conflict. And now, Zephyr's allegiance belonged to Loki.
She recalled the information she had gathered: a talent that surpassed Alfia's in attributes, as well as a skill similar to Zald's.
She said in a subtle tone, "You will be able to meet him when there is a chance in the future. Hmm... a very interesting child."
"Oh." Hestia could hardly hide her curiosity.
After all, a guy who could earn such a high evaluation from Hephaestus was definitely not an ordinary Adventurer.
However, seeing that Hephaestus didn't intend to explain further, she didn't press the matter. She stretched her waist, her attitude returning to its usual lax state.
"Alright then,"
She looked at Hephaestus, her tone filled with unhidden anticipation. "Then, please take care of me from now on."
— — —
The Dungeon.
The departure of Charles, Kate, and the others from Orario actually had quite a significant impact on exploration efficiency.
With the current shortage, Zephyr had to be at the very front. He felt that this team composition had some issues.
Lefiya's overall combat style was similar to a certain explosion girl from an anime, just not excessively absurd.
Her magic attribute was the highest with her other stats all in the H and G range on average. She only considered magic lethality and never considered an escape route.
As for Lili, she had even more things to handle—collecting Magic Stones, drops, carrying various weapons, equipment, kitchenware, and raw materials.
Just thinking about these tasks gave Zephyr a headache.
Expecting her to juggle damage output during combat? That was asking too much.
He swung the great axe in his hand, the blade slashing down along the weak point under the Minotaur's armpit.
He looked at Lefiya and Lili, suggesting, "How about we find a safe place to rest for now?"
"With our current size, being able to explore to the 15th Floor feels like it has already met expectations."
Zephyr was actually quite satisfied. The progress hadn't stagnated because of the lack of team members.
If one really had to mention a flaw, it was probably that the monsters on the current floor weren't the best in terms of stat increase.
As for the spawn rate of Gourmet Creatures?
It was entirely dependent on probability to trigger.
His luck today wasn't very good. From the starting floor all the way to the 15th Floor, he hadn't encountered any traces at all.
"When the Familia seniors return from their expedition, the situation will be much better. By then, we will be able to explore deeper floors." Lefiya followed behind, speaking up to comfort him.
Having walked this far, how could Lefiya not know that Zephyr's path to improvement was to constantly explore the Dungeon and eat monsters?
The exploration progress was directly proportional to his improvement in strength.
Regarding this, Lili didn't express any opinion. After noticing that Zephyr had the idea to rest, she placed the backpack on the ground and pulled out cooking utensils from inside.
An iron pot, a spatula, and spice bottles.
As she organized them, she asked, "Are we going to cook here?"
"Yes. Exploring the Dungeon means you have to eat something hot."
Zephyr didn't think anything of it. After all, there was no external pressure right now, so slowing down the pace was actually quite good, and he could use this to hone his culinary skills.