"Hestia, make a copy of my post-upgrade stats—leave out the Magic and Skills."
"Okay."
Hestia gave a slight nod and did as Bell instructed.
She placed a sheet of paper on Bell’s back, and after a faint ripple of divine power, she lifted it up. The imprint displayed only his na, level, Developnt Abilities, and a row of maxed-out stats, all at I0. Everything else that could be hidden was left out. Aside from the level and Developnt Abilities, there was nothing aningful for anyone to glean.
"Bell-kun, Loki is going to lose her mind when she sees these stats. From top to bottom, the only useful info is your level and Developnt Abilities—and even those aren’t exactly informative."
"I never planned on showing Loki-sama my full stats anyway. Just giving her my current level is enough of a heads-up."
Hestia could already picture the expression Loki would make upon seeing that sheet.
She’d definitely be fuming.
Bell’s idea of "coming clean" was clearly different from how most people would define it.
Even if he was opening up to Loki, that didn’t an he had to lay all his cards on the table. Level and Developnt Abilities—those were what he deed acceptable to reveal. Everything else wasn’t for public knowledge. Not yet.
"With the two of you working together, Loki’s definitely in for a headache."
One liked to go against Loki, and the other was all about secrecy. They were basically an impenetrable fortress.
Hephaestus could already imagine the sharp-witted Loki pulling her hair out in frustration. She couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for her.
"Hephaestus, don’t act like you’re above it. Aren’t you the sa?"
Hestia widened her eyes in annoyance at how Hephaestus was trying to play innocent.
"If it were you, would you tell Loki?"
"Tell her? Not a chance. We’re not even close."
Hephaestus rolled her eyes. She wasn’t the type to spill soone else’s secrets.
That blunt "not close" was probably enough to stab Loki right in the heart.
But the harsh honesty made Hestia burst into laughter.
"See? You’re just like !"
Hephaestus ignored her.
To her, it was just common sense.
Her bond with Bell was far closer than anything she had with Loki, even if she had known Loki for countless years.
Friendship and love were two entirely different things.
For a goddess, love took precedence. If a goddess cared that much about divine friendships, then she shouldn’t have co down from Tenkai in the first place.
So when it ca to choosing between Bell and Loki, Hephaestus didn’t hesitate for even a second.
Just like when she decided to go after Hestia’s love interest—she struck first. Wait too long, and you might not even get a sip of soup.
"Bell, what do you plan to do with Goliath’s hide?"
Hephaestus got straight to the point.
"I was thinking of turning it into a cloak with better defensive properties. My current cloak is rune-enchanted, but its defense isn’t that great."
Although Bell was a sentintal person, he knew well enough that his cloak lacked sufficient protection. If given the chance, upgrading to a new one seed like a good idea.
"Still going for a cloak, huh?"
"Yeah. My fighting style doesn’t suit heavy armor. The hide is soft, but I still need to consider whether it’ll restrict my movent. So I think the best use for it is to craft a new cloak."
Hephaestus trusted that Bell had thought it through, so she imdiately settled on turning the hide into a cloak.
Still, Bell was a bit uneasy.
"Hephaestus, there’s only two days left. Can you really get it done in ti?"
Hephaestus paused for a second, and Hestia burst into laughter.
"Bell-kun, have you forgotten who Hephaestus is? She’s the goddess of craftsmanship! There’s nothing she can’t forge, weapons or armor. And when it cos to ti—if it were a weapon, sure, it might take a while. But turning hide into a cloak? Three days is more than enough."
Hephaestus graciously accepted the complint from her best friend.
"Yeah, it’s just a simple repurposing job. Not that complicated. Half a day is all I need."
That made Bell feel like an idiot who didn’t know any better. He couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed about what he’d said.
"Uh... I thought making any kind of gear would be a hassle, like at least a three-day job."
He rembered that the "Hestia Knife" had taken three days to complete.
"That was a weapon built entirely from scratch."
"And even then, three days is the bare minimum. Weapons typically take at least half a month. Just gathering materials alone can take forever—especially for weapons with strict quality standards, like the ones Loki orders."
"Making a cloak out of Goliath’s hide isn’t that much trouble. It doesn’t need many materials, most of which aren’t that expensive. The real ti sink is just the sewing."
"And the other reason it’s fast is you."
"?"
Bell pointed at himself, confused. He didn’t understand how he factored into saving ti.
"You have almost no requirents for your equipnt. The hide itself is enough for you, and that’s the biggest ti-saver."
Most Adventurers have tons of requests when it cos to custom gear, but Bell didn’t ask for anything special. He just wanted Goliath’s hide turned into a cloak.
How simple is that?
Honestly, any smith could handle a job like this. It’s just a matter of ti and skill.
Even a Level 2 novice blacksmith could rush it out in two days.
And the one making it this ti is Hephaestus, the fad goddess of craftsmanship.
"That’s why I said your equipnt standards are seriously low."
As a supportive partner, Hephaestus really did want to forge more weapons for Bell.
But Bell’s magic was already so well-rounded, and with his absurd luck in the Dungeon, he kept acquiring high-quality weapons from who-knows-where. That left no room for her skills to shine.
Every ti she thought about it, Hephaestus couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated.
She was the goddess of craftsmanship, capable of making weapons that even the gods of Orario would fight to get their hands on.
But the one she cared for had no need for more weapons. That really stung.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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