The overall exploration difficulty of a Soulslike-style dungeon was something anyone who had experienced it understood clearly.
For Ron to be able to explore so smoothly, setting aside his own personal factors, the one who had provided the greatest help was undoubtedly the "angel investor," Hephaestus.
There was no justification for accepting someone else's help, only to cast that goodwill aside the moment a small, staged success was achieved. At the very least, Ron felt that such behavior was thoroughly inappropriate.
"Since it's a celebration feast…"
"I think we should invite Lady Hephaestus as well. Even if she's busy and can't make it, we should still extend the invitation to properly express our gratitude."
After explaining his reasons to Hestia, Ron set off for the main shop of Babel Tower. However, upon seeing the tall, mature woman before him, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of dissonance.
It felt as though the way she was looking at him carried a hint of disdain…?
Before he could speak, Hephaestus impatiently waved her hand and said, "I really don't know what to say about you two. I hide out at the main shop, and I still can't get any peace and quiet."
"…"
"Just say it—what equipment needs repairing this time?"
It was fortunate that she still thought—over the past few days, Ron had finally become a bit less troublesome, coming every day with weapons and armor to be repaired, not caring at all about the repair fees.
The real issue was the sheer frequency of the damage.
It had gotten to the point where even Hephaestus had begun to doubt the quality of the equipment. Was her own gear really not good enough? How did it shatter the moment this guy went exploring in the Dungeon?!
"It's not for equipment repairs…"
As the prime culprit, meeting the other party's helpless gaze, Ron couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. He tugged lightly at the corner of his mouth and took the initiative to invite her: "Lady Hephaestus, the familia is holding a celebration feast."
"We'd like to invite you to attend."
"Without the equipment you provided, my Dungeon exploration definitely wouldn't have gone so smoothly!"
"…"
So it was an invitation to a celebration feast?
Hephaestus frowned slightly. Ever since she had deliberately started avoiding that Hestia girl, her ears had finally enjoyed some peace and quiet—but she had also lost her main source of information about Ron.
As for this so-called celebration feast…
Could it be that the familia's development had achieved a stage of success, and Hestia had dragged in a few more adventurers again?
Thinking of this, she gently swirled the red wine in her goblet, peering at the boy standing before her through the glass. "Why did you suddenly think of holding a celebration feast?"
"Level ascension."
That kind of news was definitely impossible to keep hidden.
Ron chose not to hide anything and answered honestly, "During this period of Dungeon exploration, I felt things were about right, so I went ahead with a level ascension."
"…?"
The woman finally let out a sigh of relief.
However, as she carefully processed Ron's calm explanation, she abruptly sprang up from the sofa. Even as the red wine spilled from her goblet, she ignored it completely.
A level ascension?!
Hephaestus's pupils contracted sharply. When she questioned him again, her voice was filled with disbelief. "Was it another member of the Hestia Familia?"
"It was me."
"…"
Given that Ron bore the Dungeon's hatred and possessed the special ability of "Near-Death Recovery," she had never thought that the guy in front of her would fade into mediocrity.
He might even be a seed with the potential to become a hero!
But…
When Hephaestus truly heard the miracle of a "level ascension," as a god, her understanding of an adventurer's potential was once again overturned.
How long had it even been?
From the time Hestia picked up the unconscious Ron and brought him into her office, to his joining the familia and becoming an adventurer, only a little over half a month had passed…
Even the famed "Sword Princess" had never been this outrageous!
And the miracle Ron had achieved was bound to shake Orario—indeed, the entire world. So how could that Hestia girl be so impatient?
Hephaestus frowned deeply.
"You and your patron god are both a bit impulsive. Even if your ability values have reached the ascension threshold, you should still pursue your personal limits before considering an upgrade…"
"All of this will become your foundation in the future…"
Sensing the deep concern in her words, it could only be said that Hephaestus truly was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. No matter how troublesome she found him, she was still willing to offer help.
Peerless Magnanimous God.
Ron did not try to dodge the point. He said seriously, "It was precisely because my ability values could no longer increase that I chose to undergo level ascension today."
That friend of hers was unreliable—fortunately, Ron had not followed suit and acted recklessly.
Hephaestus asked tentatively. Even if he could not disclose it, she felt it was understandable, since ability values were an adventurer's core attributes.
"Is it convenient to say?"
"Extreme values."
"Then a level ascension is indeed appropriate. Further accumulation wouldn't leave any room for improvement." She nodded in relief, though her emotions were difficult to put into words.
So what kind of luck did Hestia even have?
She was jealous…
Hephaestus admitted that she was quite envious. Even though her was a commercial familia focused primarily on weapon forging and repairs, there was still a need for Dungeon exploration.
The key point was—who would ever refuse a mature, reliable familia member like Ron?
She shook her head helplessly. "Has the average level of your ability values reached B? If it has, then you're even more outrageous than Ais Wallenstein…"
"It's the Falna system's extreme values."
"?"
...
"Why does the atmosphere feel kind of strange?"
Hestia's alcohol tolerance wasn't very good.
After two glasses of sparkling wine went down, the girl's fair, youthful cheeks were tinged with a faint blush from the tipsy haze. She slung an arm around her close friend's shoulder.
Muttering, she said, "Ron can be considered someone we watched grow up to this point, right? So why is it that, ever since you arrived at the restaurant, Hephaestus, you haven't said a single word?"
"…"
What was there even left to say?
Hephaestus felt like her teeth were about to grind to dust. In the several hundred years since she had come to Orario, adventurers who had broken through the limits of Falna ability values—
The only one she could think of
was a member of the Hera Familia, bearing the epithet "Silence," known among the gods as the "embodiment of talent," and possessing the strongest aptitude—Alfia.
And now, Ron had once again accomplished the same feat.
She couldn't even imagine, once the Gods' Assembly convened, just how crazed those gods would become over the achievement this guy had created…
Familia members could transfer to another patron god.
Hephaestus knew very well that, given Ron's character, he would absolutely never abandon Hestia—but that didn't mean she could guard against certain gods resorting to underhanded methods.
She looked once more at the black-haired boy beside her.
"Are you prepared?"
"Of course."
Ron answered without hesitation.
He could understand the underlying meaning in those words—nothing more than the chain reaction his revealed talent would set off in Orario.
"Good luck."
That was all she could offer: encouragement.
She couldn't exactly say, right in front of Hestia, that the familia was far too weak to properly protect Ron, whose talent was enough to drive countless gods mad, could she?
What was worse, this unreliable girl didn't even seem to realize how serious the problem was!
Hephaestus shook her head helplessly. Recalling that earlier conversation she had had with Ron, she chose to reserve her opinion this time. "I'll say what I said before."
"Ron."
"You have the potential to become a 'hero'…"
"Become a hero?"
"That's right."
After receiving that affirmation, Ron didn't continue to argue. If he were to keep walking to the very end as a "Tarnished," that was destined to be a long road toward godhood.
And as for becoming the hero who would save Orario…
His smile was relaxed, but his tone was firmer than ever. "I think becoming a hero, for me, should just be a matter of convenience."
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