"...What is it?"

Akira tilted his head, confused, as the two women before him fell silent and stared.

"Ah, nothing," Hephaestus was the first to break the trance, her voice calm—maybe too calm. "I just didn't expect you to be... that good-looking."

It was a casual comment. But there was no mistaking the slight twitch in her tone, the way her eyes darted to the side.

Good-looking men and beautiful women were like living mannequins—clothes made them shine, and in return, they gave those clothes meaning.

Tsubaki, meanwhile, felt a strange heat crawl up her cheeks. She mentally scolded herself. Get a grip! Since when did I lose focus just because a guy looks handsome?

But now, she understood.

Why this man had been brought to a place where only gods were allowed.

Without a doubt—he was special. Someone her goddess had marked.

Without another word, Tsubaki turned and motioned for Akira to follow. As instructed by Hephaestus, she was to escort him to the Guild.

Once they had left, the Forge Goddess slumped into her chair, the strength in her legs finally giving way.

Her face turned red, and every scene from earlier began to replay in her mind.

—A man who suddenly appeared in her bath.

—A man who didn't fear or recoil from her.

—A man who called her beautiful.

—A man… who kissed her.

It had happened in the blink of an eye, yet the memory was branded into her very soul.

No matter how much she tried to deny it...

Even a goddess could fall in love.

— — —

Meanwhile, Akira and Tsubaki moved through the corridors atop Babel Tower, soon arriving at the lift zone.

To Akira, it was still mind-blowing.

In a fantasy world of swords and sorcery like Orario, they had something that functioned exactly like a modern elevator.

Of course, instead of electricity, it ran on Magic Stones—which somehow made it even cooler.

In Orario, every aspect of life—light, housing, transportation, even cooking—revolved around Magic Stones.

They were the lifeblood of the city. Lamps, tools, defenses… all powered by those glowing stones.

And all of them came from the same place—the Dungeon beneath the city.

Monsters dropped Magic Stones when slain. The stronger the monster, the bigger and more valuable the stone.

The entire ecosystem of Orario was built around that.

Power. Economy. Civilization.

Everything tied back to the Dungeon.

— — —

"Tsubaki-san, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm? Sure, go ahead."

"Does every member of our Familia have to be a blacksmith?"

"Ah, that," she chuckled. "Not necessarily. Some members prefer adventuring, or just don't have the talent for forging, so they take a different path."

"I see…"

It was a question that had nagged at Akira since before he even came to this world.

He'd assumed that joining a smithing Familia meant everyone had to be a blacksmith.

But apparently, that wasn't the case.

Tsubaki, for her part, was paying special attention to him.

In her mind, this guy was already "Goddess's Man." Instinctively, she treated him more gently than she would any ordinary newbie.

If it had been someone else, she wouldn't have taken the time to explain any of this.

No matter how friendly she was, Familia life in Orario still ran on hierarchy.

And as a Level 5 adventurer and Familia captain, Tsubaki sat at the top.

— — —

Soon enough, they reached the base floor of Babel Tower—the main lobby leading to the Dungeon.

"That's the entrance," she said, pointing toward the massive gate ahead. "Only one way in."

"Hm."

Akira nodded. Though deep down, he doubted the whole "only one entrance" thing. Dungeons always had hidden paths and secrets. That was universal law in fantasy worlds.

They exited Babel and walked just a short distance before arriving at their next destination—the Guild headquarters.

It was massive.

As the central institution governing all adventurers, founded by the god Ouranos himself, the Guild held immense authority in Orario.

Inside, the place was buzzing.

Adventurers walked back and forth, many waiting in lines, some negotiating with staff, others checking notice boards.

The layout felt oddly… modern.

The counters. The queues. The customer service desk...

This feels like a bank. Akira blinked.

Tsubaki walked in like she owned the place. She knew exactly where to go.

They approached an empty counter, and Tsubaki waved to the clerk behind it.

"Yo, Eina. Afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Tsubaki-san."

Sitting at the counter was a bespectacled elf girl with pointed ears and a tidy expression.

Akira immediately recognized her.

Eina Tulle—adventurer advisor for Bell Cranel. One of the kindest and most dependable characters in the entire Danmachi universe.

"Sorry, Tsubaki-san, we haven't had any rare material sales recently—"

"I'm not here for that. Got something else today."

Tsubaki waved her off.

As a blacksmith, she often purchased high-grade monster materials through the Guild. That was her usual reason for showing up.

But not this time.

"This guy's a new member of our Familia. Brought him here for registration."

"Ah, I see! Please fill out this form, then," Eina said, handing Akira a single sheet of paper.

He skimmed it.

Name. Age. Gender. Familia. Level.

Simple stuff.

This wasn't citizen registration—it was just adventurer enrollment.

He filled it out quickly. The only two critical pieces were: Hephaestus Familia and Level 1. Everything else was fluff.

"Alright, you're all set. Would you like to request an adventurer advisor?"

It was a routine question.

Most high-tier Familia members didn't bother, since they had their own seniors guiding them.

The Hephaestus Familia was no different. Especially since they rarely explored the Dungeon.

"Hmm, so… does that mean you'd be my advisor? Or would someone else get assigned?"

"I would be your advisor, yes. Since you signed up at my counter."

"Oh. Then sure. I don't mind."

"…Eh? Really?"

Eina looked genuinely surprised.

Tsubaki just shrugged, equally unsure.

"Well, I may be in a smithing Familia," Akira explained, "but I don't plan to become a blacksmith. I want to focus on being an adventurer instead."

That was all he needed to say.

Eina and Tsubaki both understood immediately.

"In that case, there's a 50,000 valis monthly fee for personal guidance. Is that acceptable?"

"No problem."

"Alright, I'll process your request."

The procedure was completed in minutes.

Even better—the fee didn't need to be paid upfront. It would simply be deducted from any Magic Stones he sold to the Guild until the total was covered.

A kind of built-in subsidy system for new adventurers.

After all, most rookies entered the Dungeon with nothing but a dream—and empty pockets.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

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