Charles didn't continue paying attention to the Loki Familia's expedition. He left Rivira directly and began his journey back to the upper floors.
The return trip went without incident. Perhaps the Dungeon had already realized that trying to create surprises in the middle or upper layers was pointless against Charles, so it didn't bother with any ambushes this time.
One noteworthy moment occurred on the 16th floor, where Charles encountered a lone Minotaur—the very same bull-headed creature that had such a deep entanglement with Bell in the original story.
It was because of his encounter with a Minotaur that Bell began to admire Ais and awakened his first skill, "Realis Phrase." In fact, two of his three level-ups were tied to Minotaurs.
He advanced to LV2 after soloing a strengthened Minotaur that had been trained by Ottar. Later, he reached LV4 by fighting and surviving a battle with Astarios, the black Minotaur from the Xenos.
He even awakened a skill called "Oxia," or "Bullfighting Instinct," highlighting just how fated his encounters with Minotaurs were.
But the one Charles encountered was nothing special—no intellect, no weapons. It dropped just a single magic stone and no materials of note.
Already familiar with the Dungeon's layout, Charles made quick progress on the return trip. By the time he emerged from Babel, the sun still hung in the sky.
He headed straight for the Guild and exchanged all the magic stones at the redemption office for glittering piles of valis.
Charles weighed the hefty bag of coins—he'd made over 300,000 valis in half a day, mostly thanks to magic stones from middle-level monsters.
Had he not kept a few drop items, the total would've been even higher.
This was no small sum. A typical rookie LV1 adventurer might barely earn a few thousand valis after risking their life all day. What Charles made today was an amount most beginners wouldn't even dream of.
But for Charles, this was just the starting capital—barely enough to purchase a beginner's set of forging tools.
A hearty meal at the Hostess of Fertility alone could cost close to 10,000 valis. This money wouldn't even cover two weeks of dining there without restraint.
Charles still planned to one day build a forging workshop of his own. He was far from having enough funds.
But once he learned forging and could craft first-tier equipment, earning money would be much easier.
Take Ais Wallenstein's sword, "Despair"—it was worth 96 million valis. Bell's infamous black dagger had cost 200 million, and that was with Hephaestus only charging for materials and labor.
High-level blacksmiths really did make money effortlessly—but the upfront investment was the painful part.
Charles returned to the Hephaestus Familia's mansion and headed straight to the forge.
"Lady Hephaestus, are you free right now?"
After knocking on the door, Charles heard Hephaestus's voice from within and stepped inside.
She closed the book in her hands and said, "Sit wherever you like. I didn't see you all morning—were you in the Dungeon?"
Charles took the seat across from her and replied, "Forging requires funds, so I went to the Dungeon to earn some money today. I'm sorry I didn't inform you in advance—I didn't mean to worry you."
Hephaestus smiled. "Worried? You're the one who puts me at ease the most."
Then she added, "But you don't have to be so distant. If you run into difficulties, don't hesitate to rely on your Familia. For something like learning to forge, we can definitely offer some support."
Charles shook his head. "It's not that I'm being distant. It's just that if I can afford the things I need myself, then the Familia's resources can be reserved for newer members who need them more."
Large Familia offered solid benefits. Novice adventurers could count on their Familia for knowledge, training, and basic resources.
But as Charles had said, he wasn't the type to freeload when he could stand on his own.
After a pause, Charles continued, "That said, there is one thing I need help with."
Hephaestus replied, "Helping my children grow is my duty. Go ahead."
Charles nodded. "I want to learn forging, so I'd like to ask if there's a senior in the Familia who could take me as a student."
Hephaestus touched her chin in thought. "A talented blacksmith who could teach you… there is one, actually. But he—and the other top blacksmiths—just left on an expedition with the Loki Familia. None of them are currently around."
She added, "As for the others, their skill isn't quite up to the task of teaching someone like you."
Charles immediately knew who she meant—"that guy" she mentioned was none other than Tsubaki Collbrande, captain of the Hephaestus Familia and currently Orario's undisputed number one blacksmith.
A half-dwarf, she was not only an elite smith but also a LV5 first-tier adventurer.
It wasn't surprising that she had joined the Loki Familia's expedition. In deep expeditions, having top-tier equipment in peak condition was critical for survival.
Even Ais's sword, despite its "indestructible" nature, required regular maintenance.
So it was only natural for expedition parties to bring blacksmiths along. The Hephaestus Familia was the obvious choice—and someone like Tsubaki, who was both an elite blacksmith and formidable in battle, was every expedition team's dream collaborator.
The Hephaestus and Loki Familia had long maintained close ties. This time, they had offered substantial support, even sending their captain.
But this left Charles in a bind—now there wasn't a single blacksmith in the Familia who could train him.
Seeing the troubled look on his face, Hephaestus laughed. "Why are you acting so conflicted? The best blacksmith is sitting right in front of you, you know?"
Charles looked at her—and only now did he remember. The woman before him was a god whose domain was forging itself. Who could possibly outmatch her in the art?
Only Hephaestus, the goddess of the forge, possessed the divine technique to craft equipment that grew with its user.
"But… Lady Hephaestus, wouldn't this be too much trouble for you?"
Even as he spoke, Charles realized how unnecessary the question was.
Why had the gods descended to the mortal realm? Why had they sealed away their divine powers? It was because they'd grown weary of the endless "eternity" of the heavens.
All gods were billions of years old. Time meant nothing to them. If they found interest in something, they could devote themselves to it entirely. Who was to say teaching a student wasn't Hephaestus's way of passing the time?
Hephaestus didn't answer with words—she simply smiled at him.
Charles met her gaze and said, "Then I'm in your hands. Please teach me how to forge."
Hephaestus stood up, walked to a nearby bookshelf, and pulled out several thick volumes.
Charles understood and went over to receive them.
She said, "The first step in learning to forge is understanding the basic materials. These books cover that. Take them and study well.
Once you're familiar with the materials, I'll teach you how to handle the forging tools."
Charles looked at the towering stack—nearly half his own height—and couldn't help but smile wryly.
It seemed it was time to hit the books again—something he hadn't done seriously in a long time.
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