After forging his first short sword, which he named Dragonscale, Charles seemed to have discovered the joy of blacksmithing. He locked himself away in Hephaestus's forge for several consecutive days.
Of course, it might also have been because the sound of hammer striking metal wasn't too different from the delightful jingle of coins falling.
During those days, besides the Dragonscale I short sword, Charles also forged the Dragonscale II longsword, Dragonscale III scimitar, and Dragonscale IV straight sword.
Having now gained experience with crafting different types of weapons, Hephaestus told Charles he was ready to move on to the next stage of training.
This meant learning how to process and forge with various special materials.
Perhaps because monsters were born from the Dungeon itself, their drop materials—while biological—often had metallic properties.
Besides monsters, the Dungeon also occasionally produced rare ores, which were among the best forging materials.
The most common among them was a material called Adamant Steel. Perhaps for that reason, even many monster drops contained traces of adamantine—no wonder they were so tough. These creatures truly had skin of bronze and bones of iron.
Learning how to handle drop materials was a foundational skill for any blacksmith. This phase of training required large sums of valis to purchase various materials for experimentation—making it the most financially demanding part of the smithing journey.
Of the 300,000 valis Charles had earned, after setting aside living expenses, he only had enough left to buy some mid- to low-grade materials. High-tier ones were simply out of reach for now.
Moreover, Charles couldn't keep borrowing Hephaestus's forge forever—it was time to begin renovations on the personal forge the Familia had assigned him.
Lord Charles had already been recognized by Hephaestus as worthy of branding his works with the Ηφαιστο (Hephaestus) signature, so of course he needed a proper workshop of his own.
Fortunately, Hephaestus had taken the four weapons Charles crafted and put them up for sale. With any luck, he'd soon have enough capital in hand.
Until then, Charles had some free time and decided to head into the Dungeon again to see if he could collect some useful materials.
He packed his gear lightly—even though he planned to venture deeper this time, he brought only a few extra healing potions.
Though confident in his strength, Hephaestus had warned Charles repeatedly: "Confidence is the most dangerous thing in the Dungeon."
So he chose to err on the side of caution and stocked up on recovery items.
Incidentally, Charles bought his potions from a shop run by the Dian Cecht Familia. He'd hoped to catch a glimpse of the mysterious Battle Saintess but left disappointed.
Later, Charles learned that the Dian Cecht Familia also operated a "hospital," and the Saintess was stationed there instead.
Considering her cheat-like healing magic, it made sense—she was far more effective than any ordinary doctor.
Charles also learned why the Dian Cecht Familia was so wealthy. Even the most basic healing potion cost 1,000 valis.
That kind of potion only restored stamina and had no healing properties. Actual healing required high-grade recovery potions—10,000 valis each.
There were also potions that restored mental energy (mana), which cost 20,000 apiece. The rarest of them all, the Elixir of All Souls, went for 500,000 each—and even then, it was often out of stock.
Interestingly, another Familia known for its potion-making prowess, the Miach Familia, had exclusive knowledge of dual-effect potions that restored both stamina and mana simultaneously. Yet Miach himself was known as the "Broke God," a testament to his, well, less-than-stellar financial sense.
Charles didn't dare dream of owning an All-Souls Elixir. He simply prepared five potions total—two of each type—and watched his coin pouch deflate depressingly.
Just as he was finishing preparations to depart, he witnessed a rather ridiculous scene at the front door.
There was his goddess, Hephaestus, flailing her leg in frustration, trying desperately to shake off something clinging tightly to her.
That something turned out to be a girl in a white dress with twin pigtails clinging to Hephaestus's leg for dear life.
But the most eye-catching detail was the completely illogical blue ribbon tied under her chest.
That very ribbon was what had first drawn Charles's attention to works about this world.
Hephaestus looked absolutely livid, shouting, "Hestia! Just how long are you going to keep pestering me?! Ever since you descended to the mortal realm, you've been freeloading in my home doing nothing! If you keep this up, you're going to become a complete waste of space!
I don't care whether you go get a job or recruit someone and start a Familia—just go fend for yourself already!"
Yes, the girl clinging tightly to Hephaestus's leg was also a goddess: Hestia, the hearth goddess who would later become the benefactor of the story's protagonist.
Hestia and Hephaestus had been close friends in the heavens, which was why she'd been living off Hephaestus ever since descending.
While the Hephaestus Familia was rich enough to afford one more mouth to feed, Hephaestus clearly didn't want to see her friend turn into a useless parasite. She had finally steeled her heart to kick her out.
"Noooo! Hephaestus, I don't wanna work! For the sake of our friendship, even if all I get to eat is fried potato balls, please let me stay!"
"You've really sunk that low?! You're officially a complete freeloader now!" Hephaestus roared.
Charles didn't dare approach. He was familiar with this goddess, but he hadn't expected this side of her.
As Bell's future patron and guide, Hestia was sometimes airheaded in the story but also capable of great insight.
Not to mention, her divine authority ranked quite high. Her other name, "Vesta," symbolized the Eternal Flame—a manifestation of the undying divine power she commanded.
Even Uranus, the deity responsible for suppressing the Dungeon, took Hestia seriously. Later, when Freya hypnotized nearly all of Orario to take Bell, Hestia was one of only two gods who remained unaffected.
And yet here she was, wrapped around Hephaestus's leg, begging not to be evicted.
After several futile attempts to shake her off, Hephaestus finally panted, "Didn't you say you wanted to start a Familia that would surpass Loki's, just to spite her?"
Hestia paused. She'd almost forgotten.
Everything else might be negotiable, but being mocked by that tomboy Loki? That was absolutely unacceptable.
Faced with the choice between humiliation and comfort, Hestia hesitated.
That was all Hephaestus needed. Taking advantage of the opening, she yanked her leg free and, before Hestia could react, kicked her right out the door.
"OWWW!"
Just as Hestia recovered and prepared to beg again, the door reopened.
Thinking Hephaestus had changed her mind, Hestia brightened—only to see her luggage get tossed out instead. The message was loud and clear: You're out.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, Hephaestus turned and saw Charles standing awkwardly nearby.
"Sorry you had to witness that mess," she said.
Charles shook his head. "Not at all. I only saw the kindness of the goddess."
"Kindness?" Hephaestus chuckled. In Heaven, she was known as the 'Stubborn Goddess.' No one had ever called her kind before.
Seeing Charles's backpack, she asked, "Are you heading into the Dungeon?"
Charles nodded. "I'm hoping to pick up some materials."
Hephaestus said simply, "Then I won't say much else—just come back safe."
"Truly, my goddess is gentle," Charles replied.
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