Chương 17: So This Is the Current Timeline

"I will charge you the same price as before. Come pick it up in five days," Goibniu said, casually glancing at Cael as he searched through the weapons. As long as a customer did not cause trouble in his shop, whatever they did was their own business.

"Thank you for your trouble."

"You adventurers exist to make work for us smiths. Once you return from this expedition, you will probably be back to bother me again. Honestly, how did you damage a sword with the Durandal attribute this badly?"

"Sorry," Ais replied in a light voice.

"Forget it. Until then, use this sword. If you damage it, you pay the full price."

"Thank you." After saying that, Ais walked out.

"I hope this expedition reaches deeper floors this time," Riveria sighed.

"But every time, something happens around those floors, and we have to turn back without making any progress."

"Mm." Ais and Riveria passed by Cael, who was searching for twin swords. Cael raised his head and met Riveria's eyes. Cael thought, As expected of a long-lived race. She is over seventy and still so young and beautiful. It is hard to imagine that such a slender body contains enough power to destroy a town with ease. Half a year. Give me half a year, and I will reach that level too. A Lv. 6 top-class adventurer. Riveria thought, His eyes are young and inexperienced.

His muscles have not been coordinated through long combat, and his hands do not have many traces of sword training, yet he uses swords. His aura is only at the upper end of Lv. 1. The woman beside him is Eina, a Guild employee. A rookie adventurer. But that trace of unease just now... This boy's talent or Magic is terrifyingly strong. Sooner or later, he will become a top-class adventurer known throughout Orario. Ais thought, My sword is gone. The replacement feels wrong. Uncomfortable.

"I will take these two swords. They feel very comfortable." Cael quickly pulled his gaze back and drew two white longswords from the messy rack. Every sword that could be recorded had already been recorded. The two in his hands were the best among them, and they were made from the same material.

"Oh? Good luck." The bare-chested bearded clerk folded his arms and grinned with uneven teeth, surprised by the rookie's fortune.

"Those two are the best pieces here. They were forged with iron essence mixed with two saber-toothed tiger fangs. They almost reached third-tier weapon quality."

"Since Miss Eina often brings rookies to our shop, I will give you a discount. Nine thousand valis." That really was cheap. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. In the end, after buying a set of light armor made from Needle Rabbit Fur mixed with iron essence, Cael paid twelve thousand valis and left the weapon shop.

"Thanks to Miss Eina, I was able to buy swords this practical for such a good price. With this and everything you have already done for me, I really do not know how to thank you." Cael fastened the two swords at his waist.

"The best thanks you can give me is coming to the Guild every day, alive and well, to exchange Magic Stones, and not falling behind on my adviser fee." Eina waved with a smile. At the fork in the road, she turned and gave one last reminder.

"Adventurers must not be reckless. Be careful, Cael."

"Thank you. See you later." Warmth filled Cael's chest as he waved. Miss Eina really was kind and considerate, just as he remembered. If someone married her, she would definitely become a good wife. Uh. Where had his thoughts gone? Wait. Cael's face filled with horror. Hold on. Did Miss Eina just raise another death flag for me? It's over. Absolutely over. He definitely would not enter the Dungeon today.

"I still have this much money left after buying equipment. Tonight, I will treat Lady Hestia to a feast and celebrate. I originally wanted to celebrate last night." Cael patted his light armor, then his money pouch. Thinking of Hestia's happy face made him smile softly. Then his expression slowly turned serious. He rubbed his chin with a finger. Meeting Ais and Riveria had surprised him a little, but their conversation had given him information. Expedition.

Familias with top-class adventurers, meaning adventurers of Lv. 5 and above, received expedition missions from the Guild to continue exploring unknown floors in the Deep Floors. From the timing, several things could be confirmed. Bell Cranel had not yet come to Orario. Expeditions lasted a long time, at least half a month. Bell encountered the Minotaur half a month after joining Hestia Familia, and Loki Familia's expedition had just ended and returned at that time.

In other words, Bell Cranel was already on his way here, or he was currently looking for a Familia to join.

"Heh. The protagonist watched by the gods. I cannot let you meet Hestia. I have already changed things, so the chance should be low, but it still is not safe." Cael narrowed his eyes. No man wanted someone he cared about getting tangled up with a protagonist. Especially a protagonist whose fate had been arranged by a group of old schemers from birth.

To make Bell into humanity's final hero and have him defeat the Black Dragon, the gods involved in the hero-nurturing plan had prepared a nested series of trials for him. Anyone connected to him would be dragged into a whirlpool of misfortune. Cael did not dislike Bell himself, nor did he hate saintly people. He only hated fake saints. A saint said, I have strength, so I will help others. A fake saint said, You have strength, so how dare you not help others?

Still, to keep himself and the people he liked from being pulled into the whirlpool, he would have to fool Bell into joining Freya Familia when they met. Bell was already the center of one whirlpool anyway. One more whirlpool would not crush him. Now that Cael had new swords, he could not wait to find out how strong he currently was. His strength had increased too quickly. He had no real grasp of where he stood. He only knew he was strong, but guesses alone did not feel real.

Humming lightly, he returned to the abandoned district near the slums on the edge of Southeast Street. He did not hurry back to the abandoned church.

"Hah. Here, I can finally let loose and swing freely." Cael breathed out. The area was full of Roman-style columns and abandoned buildings. From the carvings on those ruined structures, one could still tell how splendid this place had once been. This entire expanse of ruins had once been Hera Familia's territory. The small basement Hestia Familia used now was also the ruin of a Hera Familia church. After Hera Familia was expelled from Orario, the once-prosperous district had been destroyed along with their fall.

"Trace on!" Cael sensed the projected swords stored in that unknown space, and blue magical light flared in his hands.

"Grasp the concept of creation. Hypothesize the basic structure. Replicate the material composition. Imitate the manufacturing technique. Sympathize with the growth experience. Reproduce the accumulated years." Surpassing every process. At this very moment, complete the sword woven from fantasy. In less than three seconds, every process required to make a sword was reproduced, and the shadow inside the Reality Marble manifested into reality.

The sword's manufacturing process, materials, experience, and accumulated history were compressed into seconds. The swords gradually forming in his hands were identical to the two at his waist.

"Then next..." Cael activated his only Sword Skill. Powerful strength awakened in his body. Airflow slid along both swords, and everything in his sight seemed to slow several times over.

"Starburst Stream."