"Hah! Hah!"
Roy panted like an ox, every muscle in his body screaming with fatigue. However, being a Level 4 adventurer, he didn't pass out like Goibniu. He clicked "Update Status."
The data on his panel shifted violently, finally settling on numbers that shocked even Roy.
Total Ability Score increase: 1,720!
This number might not seem exaggerated compared to before, when Roy would gain thousands of points at a time.
In reality, it was ridiculous! He was now Level 4; the difficulty of gaining stats and the amplification those stats provided were completely different from the past. For instance, a Level 1 adventurer defeating a mid-floor Level 2 Minotaur would gain a massive stat boost and complete a feat (Great Deed). Now, even if Roy slaughtered a thousand of them, his stats might not even rise by a hundred points.
The boost from 1,720 points at Level 4, even by conservative estimates, was greater than the boost from maxed-out stats at Level 1 and Level 2 combined. Since the two deities hadn't used their Arcanum (Divine Power) and had taught him techniques honed to the absolute limit, his Dexterity attribute saw the greatest increase, hitting the adventurer's hard cap!
His Development Ability, "Blacksmith," jumped two ranks, from G to E!
Blacksmiths generally didn't hide their information. If their skills were superb, they wanted the whole world to know. Roy recalled that the Captain of the Hephaestus Familia, the "Cyclops" Tsubaki Collbrande—Orario's greatest blacksmith (excluding gods)—had a "Blacksmith" ability around this level as well.
Roy didn't pay too much mind to that, though.
The rank of the "Blacksmith" Development Ability didn't solely dictate one's forging skill. Even without this ability, a smith could still forge equipment. It merely enhanced the smith's capabilities.
If a blacksmith was inherently useless, giving them an S-rank "Blacksmith" ability wouldn't help.
What mattered were the exquisite techniques and knowledge he had learned from Goibniu and Goddess Astrea. The increase in stats and the level up of his "Blacksmith" ability were just side effects of the "Fruit of Epiphany."
"Captain, what are you going to do with these two pieces of equipment?" Tione asked, practically drooling as she looked at the two Silver Moon Curved Blades on the table.
"You two take them. Consider it a welcoming gift for joining the Familia," Roy said casually with a smile, his gaze sweeping over Tione and Tiona. once he fully mastered the techniques Goibniu passed down, forging Epic-grade equipment would be a breeze. These two blades weren't particularly precious to him anymore, so they made for perfect gifts.
"Thank you!"
Tione and Tiona jumped up in excitement, each grabbing a Silver Moon Curved Blade. These were among the few gifts they had ever received since birth. They held them to their chests as if they were priceless treasures.
"Captain, we want one too!" Daphne and Cassandra looked at Roy with puppy-dog eyes.
Nearby, Ryu said nothing, but her gaze lingered on Roy for a couple of seconds longer than usual—the implication was unspoken but clear. Even Goddess Astrea was the same; on her beautiful face, her smile looked somewhat dangerous.
In that moment, Roy wanted to slap himself. Even if he wanted to give gifts, he shouldn't have done it in front of everyone. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?
"Fine, everyone gets one!"
Roy, possessing a strong survival instinct, gritted his teeth and declared.
He understood the principle that "people do not worry about scarcity, but rather about uneven distribution." Either give to no one or give to everyone. Unfair treatment would eventually cause hearts to drift apart. Aside from that, Astrea had personally taught him swordsmanship and sparred with him for four hours until she was dripping with sweat—didn't that hard labor deserve a gift? Daphne and Cassandra had seniority; when they joined, they received nothing because the Familia was poor then. That was understandable, but now that the newcomers got gifts, they certainly needed to be compensated.
And Ryu needed no explanation.
To date, the one who had helped Roy the most was this beautiful elf maiden.
"Yay!"
Hearing Roy agree, cheers erupted from the girls in the courtyard. A hint of a smile flashed across Ryu's typically cold face, and Goddess Astrea's smile became even warmer.
After bathing and recovering from his physical fatigue, Roy transformed into the Astrea Familia's workhorse Captain.
He didn't just casually forge four more Silver Moon Curved Blades. instead, he designed specific equipment tailored to each member's role. In a sense, it was a good thing—it allowed him to apply the knowledge he had learned.
Otherwise, leaving it in his brain would only lead to him gradually forgetting it.
Name: Flowing Light Chainmail Rank: Epic Special Effect (Flowing Light): When taking physical damage, the armor's hardness doubles. Durability: 99%
Name: Phantom Mist Light Armor Rank: Epic Special Effect (Gloaming): Releases a fog covering a ten-meter radius to confuse enemies. The user is unaffected. Durability decreases by 10% with each activation. Durability: 99%
Name: Solar Blade Rank: Epic Special Effect (Sun Day): Absorbs sunlight to enhance the blade's power and sharpness. At high noon, it achieves maximum amplification and inflicts a burning effect. Durability: 99%
Spending two weeks purchasing materials, designing, and forging three pieces of Epic-grade equipment... even with Roy's Level 4 strength, he was half-dead by the end. The materials accumulated by the Familia had long since been depleted.
The materials for these items were bought from outside, costing another thirty or forty million Valis.
Mostly, it was for Roy's practice. The pile of scrapped materials was mountainous. The saying that "good blacksmiths are fed by money" was absolutely true. Only the Astrea Familia, with its vast wealth and control over the "money tree" that was the Soma Familia, dared to spend like this, leaving other Familias dying of envy.
Thanks to his efforts during this period, Roy thoroughly digested the knowledge in his mind. As long as he had rare materials, he could stably produce Epic-grade equipment. Although slightly lacking in experience, Roy's peak performance was on the same level as Tsubaki Collbrande.
He belonged to the first echelon of blacksmiths in Orario.
It was a good thing other Familias didn't know; otherwise, the Astrea Familia's doorstep would be worn down by adventurers begging Roy to forge equipment for them. Following the Soma Familia's divine wine...
Roy now held another money tree in his hands, capable of earning tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions of Valis at any time.
The Flowing Light Chainmail was given to Cassandra, the Phantom Mist Light Armor to Daphne, and the Solar Blade to Goddess Astrea. Everyone beamed with joy. As for Ryu, who remained, Roy had other ideas.
During this time, Roy made time to visit Goibniu at the Dian Cecht Familia's sanatorium.
Roy held deep respect for this deity.
To go twenty hours without food or drink, forging an Epic weapon while simultaneously lecturing him—bearing in mind that a god with sealed divinity is no different from a normal human, physically weaker than even a Level 1 adventurer...
He was truly a hardcore god!
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Danmachi : Starting with an Elf (405 Chapter – Ongoing)
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