"From today on, you will officially become a member of the 'Hephaestus Familia'."
In the shop filled with the heat of the fire, the goddess with long red hair smiled kindly at the boy with his bare back.
"You've grown up too, Kevin."
The black-haired boy called Kevin scratched his head.
"Have I received 'God's Grace'? My body doesn't seem to have changed much."
"Because you have just started your adventure, you are only at the lowest level, Lv1."
The goddess of forging, Hephaestus, patted Kevin on the shoulder and encouraged him.
"Don't be too impatient. Even precious metals need to be forged thousands of times before they can take shape."
Kevin nodded thoughtfully, his eyes filled with excitement.
More than ten years have passed since he traveled to the world of Danmachi.
Today, he finally received "God's Grace."
As long as he could accumulate great achievements and improve his ability values, he could continue to upgrade and become stronger!
"However, for our clan, the way to achieve 'great deeds' is not just fighting."
As she spoke, Hephaestus picked up the forge hammer again and began to hammer the mold on the anvil.
"The situation in the underground city is complicated, and accidents can easily happen."
"You can first accumulate feats through 'Forging' and raise your level to Lv2, then it won't be too late to venture into the dungeon."
"A blacksmith with excellent craftsmanship is also very popular among adventurers."
As the goddess of forging, Hephaestus' Familia was very famous in the labyrinth city.
The work of the senior blacksmiths belonging to the Hephaestus Familia enjoyed the highest quality reputation in the market.
Even first-rate adventurers or Familia members who wanted to purchase them had to consider their financial resources.
Because of this, the Hephaestus Familia was one of the few in Orario that did not rely on tribute from adventurers to operate.
Although Kevin had just become a member of Hephaestus' Familia,
before that, he had studied blacksmithing skills for several years under the goddess.
He could also repair armor and weapons for novice adventurers to earn some pocket money.
"I understand, but I still want to go to the Adventurer's Guild to familiarize myself with it first."
Looking at Kevin's excited face, the red-haired goddess smiled helplessly.
"Forget it, I'll treat these few days as a day off for you. Just don't forget to bring food to that 'parasite'."
"If left alone, that guy would probably become the first god to die of starvation and have to return to heaven."
The "parasite" that Hephaestus mentioned was, of course, her best friend.
She was also the face of Danmachi, the blue-ribboned goddess of the hearth, Hestia.
At this time, Hestia had just descended from heaven and was extremely lazy and greedy.
She spent every day eating, drinking, playing, sleeping, and lying around.
No wonder Hephaestus used the word "parasite" to describe her.
But as a good friend, she couldn't just ignore her.
So she let Kevin, a member of her Familia, take care of her.
"Come to think of it, it's almost time to feed the guest... I mean, it's time to bring food."
Kevin glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of the blacksmith shop.
Strangely, even though it had been exposed to smoke and fire all year round,
the clock still looked as smooth and bright as if it had just been bought.
Perhaps it was the power of the goddess that had unintentionally protected it.
"Well then... Goddess, I'm leaving now."
When Kevin was about to leave the room, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Hephaestus, who was swinging her hammer.
"Even if I become an adventurer, I will not give up my training as a blacksmith."
"One day, I will forge something that will amaze even the goddess!"
"When that time comes, Goddess, please don't forget the promise we made..."
"I know, I know."
The red-haired goddess muttered without even turning her head.
"Let's wait until that day comes. Your current level is still far behind mine."
After the boy's footsteps gradually faded away and disappeared completely,
Hephaestus stopped what she was doing and touched her flushed cheek.
"After all these years, you still remember this."
"Is this kid serious about me?"
"If he really can forge something that surpasses mine..."
After a moment, the goddess shook her head and cleared the distracting thoughts from her mind.
She refocused her attention on the hammer in her hand.
—
"Two tater tots, please."
On the way out of Babel Tower, Kevin bought two fried potato balls from a street food stall.
This crispy, delicious, and filling snack only cost 30 faris per serving and was a favorite among many adventurers.
If it weren't for the fact that it lost its best flavor after cooling down,
many adventurers would probably buy some as food reserves for exploring the labyrinth.
"Should I explore the labyrinth first, or accumulate knowledge before making a breakthrough..."
On the way, Kevin couldn't help but ponder the questions emerging in his mind.
After officially obtaining "God's Grace," upgrading levels required accumulating great deeds.
Great deeds were similar to experience points needed to level up.
As Hephaestus had said, the way to achieve greatness was not necessarily through fighting.
It could also be through other worthy achievements and merits.
For example, forging a powerful weapon, researching new magic, or creating useful tools.
However, combat feats, such as defeating powerful enemies, were the simplest and most direct way to obtain them.
Moreover, through battle, one could also improve their basic abilities and increase their ability values.
In contrast, upgrading through forging was very safe.
However, due to its limited impact on ability values, blacksmiths were not as strong as combat-based adventurers.
Just as Kevin was deep in thought, a sudden notification appeared before his eyes.
[Detected: The host has obtained "God's Grace." The Myriad Worlds Crossing System has been activated!]
[Currently traversable world: 1]
"Huh?"
"A system?!"
Kevin was stunned at first.
Then, a surge of joy overwhelmed him!
After so many years, his traveler's gift had finally arrived!
"The Myriad Worlds Crossing System sounds really powerful."
"And I can already travel to a world right away?"
"Let's see what kind of world it is..."
As information flowed into his mind upon activating the system,
Kevin opened the system panel and found a new world waiting for him to explore.
However, when he saw the name of the world, his entire body froze in shock!
[Traversable World: Terraria - Calamity