Chapter 88: Hephaestus's Swift Offensive, I Must Reward You Too! (Patreon)

"What's it like to be kept by an elegant older-sister goddess?"

It feels great…

Rozz stopped in front of the weapon shop's display window and took in the dazzling array of equipment, and the painfully steep prices attached to it.

Anything over a million valis was simply beyond what his wallet could consider. Yet now the goddess Hephaestus was telling him to pick whatever he liked.

"I can really pick anything?"

Rozz felt a little embarrassed. He turned to the red-haired big sister beside him. "These all seem pretty expensive."

"Do you think the 'unknown' that fascinates me comes cheap?"

…

Why did that suddenly feel like a scene out of a domineering-CEO romance?!

But with Hephaestus's permission in hand, Rozz didn't plan to stand on ceremony any longer. His gaze swept quickly across the many weapons in the window.

First, the tachi had to go. Its killing power against monsters was certainly nothing to sneeze at, but using one meant abandoning the fast-strike tactics he was good at.

As for the other types, like spears, battle-axes, and daggers…

He glanced them over and lost interest at once, until his attention landed on a familiar-looking weapon in the corner, clearly gathering dust for some time.

[Hengdao]

The blade was straight, upright and unyielding.

This Hengdao had the portability of a sword and the fearsome killing power of a blade, with its attributes balanced.

Hmm…

He really liked it.

…

Price: 2,700,000 valis.

Just as Rozz was about to drop the idea, Hephaestus came over on her own, standing so close he could smell her perfume.

Her tone was languid, yet carried a slightly husky charm.

"You like this kind of weapon?"

"I think it'd be especially useful for fighting in the Dungeon, and it suits the fighting style I have now. It's just really expensive."

That was the truth.

Even with his earnings improving now that he'd explored into the Middle Floors, saving up enough for this weapon would still take a while.

Freeloading was the right call.

But to actually ask for it outright, shamelessly, when the two of them could probably be called "friends"… he really couldn't bring himself to do that.

"If you like it, take it."

"Even among second-tier arms, this one is decent quality. And most importantly, it was forged by Tsubaki's own hands."

She clearly didn't care about the price.

More than money, what Hephaestus really cared about was the stage of Rozz's Affection. She decisively took the weapon out of the window.

She explained patiently.

"Tsubaki is from the Far East. This weapon's design was modeled on the standard-issue equipment of the Eastern Continent."

"It's just that few Adventurers in Orario use this type."

"If you like it, I'm sure Tsubaki would be glad to hear it. Any smith is happy when someone else appreciates what she's made."

Having said that, Hephaestus didn't even give him a chance to refuse. She pressed the weapon into Rozz's hands, quite forcefully.

"Thank you, Lady Hephaestus."

She'd gone this far, so refusing again would be rude. Besides, deep down, Rozz truly did like this Hengdao.

He didn't push it away again.

And the smile that had been bright on Hephaestus's face slowly took on a sly edge as Rozz accepted the gift.

"So how do you plan to thank me?" she asked casually.

"…"

"When I do my Status Update, I'll bring the parchment over for you to look at?"

Seeking the "unknown" was why gods came to Orario, and in Hephaestus that was displayed to the fullest.

If she was providing resources, it was because she wanted to see the limits of what she had created.

Rozz answered tentatively. Noticing no change in Hephaestus's expression, he was about to add more explanation.

Then he felt a finger lightly press against his lips, keeping him from speaking.

The next moment, in Hephaestus's gentle embrace, Rozz felt a softness unlike anything before, along with the touch of fair, delicate skin.

"You probably guessed…"

"Gods come to Orario to seek the unknown. I do think that way, but more than that, I want you to come back to Orario safe."

"!!"

Rozz suddenly felt that drowning in Hephaestus's snow-white tenderness might be a pretty good way to go. What decent person could withstand a test like this?!

Not until his lungs drew fresh air again did he finally break free of that fervent tenderness that felt like suffocation. He lifted his head and saw the elegant goddess, her cheeks just as flushed.

"All right~"

"I won't keep you. Today stays the same as always, okay? It's our little secret… Don't let Hestia find out."

"I won't."

Rozz left the "Hephaestus" weapon shop. As he gazed at Orario, fully wrapped in the veil of night, his heart was full of emotion.

It was just… thinking of his own goddess, he realized that Hephaestus's gentleness toward him was truly different. She wasn't trying to win him over like Loki,

Hephaestus purely wanted to explore the "unknown" and hoped he'd return to Orario safely.

What a good goddess!

Not to mention, remembering that Hestia herself had told him to spend more time with this goddess, the guilt in him was slowly fading.

"That's right."

"Lady Hestia is the one who said so!"

*

[Affection Stage: 3]

[Affection needed for next stage: 50/100]

[New Hero development feature is now unlocked. The player can set goals to give comprehensive help to the growth of the character Rozz.]

Could Hestia's approach really be the right one?

The red-haired goddess sat on the soft sofa. Even though the boy had left long ago, the flush on her fair face hadn't faded with time.

Even now, Hephaestus could feel her heart racing in her chest, and she found herself recalling what the other gods always said.

"The feeling of a fluttering heart."

No way…

After all, Rozz was a member of Hestia's Familia, and her best friend had told her to her face that she intended to marry Rozz someday.

"Forget it…"

"Wearing myself out like this is pointless. I'd be better off exploring the core function of the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan. If I remember right, it's dream simulation."

Faced with a headache, Hephaestus chose to simply redirect her attention. When she saw the new development feature, she felt that everything she'd invested had been worth it.

…

[The player can start the Dream Simulation Plan by consuming the character's Stamina attribute.]

[The Stamina cost is determined by the difficulty the player selects. When the Dream Simulation Plan ends, 50% of the consumed Stamina is refunded.]

[Completing a simulation plan grants combat experience and a chance to raise the character's Potential.]

The core development feature was simple.

It made use of even the time Rozz spent sleeping, raising the character's Potential through "Dream Training."

And when the training ended, he'd even keep the combat experience he gained, intact.

"No wonder…"

"At least from this, there's a reasonable explanation for why Rozz's strength as an Adventurer has risen so fast!"

A "miracle."

In Hephaestus's eyes, the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan that Rozz possessed was absolutely a special existence capable of breaking every convention.

Most importantly!!

She herself could also use this core development feature to formally begin a training plan for Rozz and max out every one of his Potentials.

She began browsing the new feature.

…

[Easy] [Normal] [Hard] [Nightmare] [Inferno]

The Dream Simulation Plan was divided into five different tiers, and the Stamina required for each rose step by step.

The feature wasn't hard to understand. What truly gave Hephaestus a headache was deciding what difficulty of Dream Simulation Plan to prepare for Rozz tonight.

…

[Character: Rozz]

[Stamina: 50 (continuously recovering)]

[Simulation plans currently available: Easy, Normal, Hard, Nightmare (Bonus Stage)]

…

"Hmm."

"Then let's test the waters with Hard. If Rozz can't clear it, I'll lower the difficulty tomorrow night."

Fun fact:

Every morning when Rozz woke up, Hestia would cling to him for some Cuddling, which probably helped relieve the fatigue from the Dream Training plan.

And if worst came to worst…

Hephaestus's gaze fell on the last item, the "Bonus Stage," set apart on its own. At the moment, all she could think was:

Once Rozz's Potentials were maxed out.

She murmured softly, "Then I'll give you a proper reward, too!!"

*

Traveler's Hostel

Not only had the weapon repair been settled, but Rozz hadn't expected to come away with an unexpected windfall from Hephaestus as well.

Back at the Familia Home, he pushed open the door and found the beautiful Petite goddess, who had also just returned, standing in front of the wardrobe and tidying up.

Hanging there was a brand-new set of formal banquet attire.

The moment she noticed Rozz had returned safely, a smile bloomed on Hestia's face and she hurriedly waved him over. "Come and have a look!"

"This is the formal wear I asked Hephaestus to pick out for you for the banquet."

"Sure thing."

The style was fairly simple: a black suit vest over a white undershirt, very slim-fitting overall.

Truth be told…

Rozz wasn't particularly into wearing formal clothes, but he'd be accompanying Hestia to the banquet of the gods.

He absolutely couldn't make his goddess lose face.

He went to the bathroom for a quick wash, then changed under Hestia's watchful gaze. If anything puzzled him, it was this:

"Why does it feel…"

Rozz looked at himself in the full-length mirror, then at the goddess in confusion. "Like this outfit fits perfectly, like it was tailor-made?"

"Hehe."

"Don't worry about that~"

Refusing to answer!

She could hardly tell Rozz that she knew everything about him through the Bonus Stage, not just his chest and waist measurements, but even that, right?

Hehe~

Looking at the boy standing tall before her,

Hestia was thoroughly satisfied. A child as perfect as Rozz would one day stay by her side as her "husband."

Her cheeks turned faintly rosy.

The goddess changed the subject stiffly and pulled Rozz, now back in his casual clothes, over to the sofa, offering her usual lap-pillow service.

"How was exploring the Dungeon today?"

"Smooth."

"It's just that when I reached the Middle Floors today, the monsters there didn't seem as strong as I'd expected."

That was the truth.

Rozz even felt that if he wanted to build up his stats, he'd have to run into special events like a "Monster Party" fairly often from now on.

"That's because you're really amazing~"

Through the Exploration Log,

Hestia had followed his every move from the moment Rozz went back into the Dungeon. When she learned he was heading to the weapon shop to have his weapon repaired,

she stopped keeping track of what he did afterward.

After all,

any of the gods in Orario might have designs on Rozz, but her best friend Hephaestus? Absolutely not!

Curious,

Hestia opened the character Potential panel of the Hero Cloud-Raising Plan again, and Rozz's detailed data appeared before her eyes.

…

Strength Potential: C+

Endurance Potential: C

Dexterity Potential: C+

Agility Potential: D+

Magic Potential: C+

*

After the baptism of the Monster Party, every one of Rozz's Potentials had risen sharply compared to when he'd just Leveled Up.

After all, unlike the Falna panel,

each rank gained in a Potential meant that the ceiling on Rozz's future stats rose by roughly 100 points on average.

"That's good news…"

"I can't even imagine how high his numbers will be by the time he's fully grown, if every rank reaches SSS Potential!"

Hestia daydreamed.

Then, as his goddess, she should naturally help Rozz in whatever way she could. She decisively opened the "Dream Training" feature.

…

[Character: Rozz]

[Stamina: 23 (continuously recovering)]

[Simulation plans currently available: Easy, Normal (Bonus Stage)]

…

"Looks like I was right to suggest Rozz choose Stamina as his Development Ability. Even after a fight as intense as a Monster Party…"

"After finishing his exploration…"

"Rozz still has this much Stamina left!"

The corners of the goddess's mouth curved into a lovely arc. When it came down to it, she was the one who'd reminded Rozz to choose this ability in the first place!

Especially when,

Hestia thought about how this Development Ability called Stamina worked not only in the Dungeon, but in married life, too…

She pressed her legs together without realizing it.

"Hehe."

"At the rate Rozz is improving now, there's no need to pick an especially hard simulation plan for him. Normal difficulty is just right."

"It'll raise his Potential either way."

"…"

After a brief moment of warmth together,

Rozz and Hestia left the Familia Home and settled dinner at a restaurant near the Traveler's Hostel.

There was nothing to complain about in the food.

Over the meal,

he didn't forget to ask what he needed to watch out for at the banquet of the gods, so he wouldn't do anything that overstepped before the divine.

Back home again,

Rozz lay on the soft bed in the master bedroom. They'd started out sleeping separately, but every morning he woke up to find Hestia beside him.

And after that,

living together simply became the natural thing.

He felt drowsiness wash over his body in waves, and when his consciousness gathered itself again, the pure-white dream room lay before his eyes.

A strange dream.

Rozz looked around. When he saw the graceful figure of the elf girl in particular, he had a feeling tonight would be a hard-fought, thoroughly exhilarating battle.

"You mean, you want me to fight Lv4 Senior Ryuu? Seriously?! For real?!"