Hachiman returned home at dusk, his body aching, but his mind buzzing with the experience of his first day as a Level 2 in the Middle Floors. The difference in power was palpable, but the challenges were also of a new magnitude. As he entered, he stopped in the living room. Aqua was there, but not in her usual way. She was surrounded by shopping bags from clearly expensive stores, admiring a new set of sparkling jewelry in a small mirror, her eyes shining like stars and letting out strange, satisfied giggles.
'Ah, yes... the money,' Hachiman remembered. Before leveling up and during his first weeks as a Level 1 adventurer, he had amassed a small fortune of about 6 million Valis, mainly thanks to Hephaestus's armor and his ability to farm floors 9-12 efficiently. Tired of Aqua's constant complaints about not having "money for little divine luxuries," he had given her one million Valis to do whatever she wanted. It seemed she hadn't wasted any time.
"Hachiman! You're back!" she exclaimed, finally noticing him, her face radiant. "Look! Aren't they beautiful? And I bought a new perfume that smells like moonflowers picked by fairies!"
Hachiman just sighed. "I hope you saved something for food." He then held up his own pouch, noticeably heavier than when he left. "Speaking of money..."
Aqua's eyes immediately fixed on his pouch, her excitement over her own purchases replaced by a new wave of cheerful greed. "You got a lot today, didn't you?! Are the Middle Floors that profitable?!"
"About five million Valis," Hachiman replied calmly, watching her reaction.
"FIVE MILLION?! IN ONE DAY?!" Aqua screamed, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Hachiman! We're rich! We can buy a bigger temple! And more dresses! And pudding! Pudding every day!" She started dancing around the room, dreaming of the possibilities.
Hachiman let her enjoy her daydream for a moment before clearing his throat. "Aqua. Before you plan how to spend it all on sweets and statues of yourself... status, please."
Brought back to reality (or close to it), Aqua stopped her dance and nodded vigorously. "Of course, of course! The update for my amazing Level 2 adventurer!"
She performed the ritual, and Hachiman checked the results.
Hikigaya Hachiman Level: 2 (Initial Level 2 Status: Str:I-0, End:I-0, Dex:I-0, Agi:I-0, Mag:I-0)
Strength: H-118 Endurance: H-123 Dexterity: H-109 Agility: H-115 Magic: I-080
Magic: [Unlimited Blade Works] (Hidden) [Single Strike] (Hidden) Skill: [A Loner's Protection] (Hidden) [Savage Determination] (Hidden) Development Ability: [Blacksmith: F] [Mystery: H] [Loved by the Forge]: The forge itself, touched by a deep affection for your soul, has infused you with a rare gift: your dedication and bond have awakened a protective power. Once a day, when you receive a blow that would be fatal, the forge's blessing manifests, preventing your death. This protection works against attacks from enemies up to 3 levels above you. (Newly Acquired)
'An increase of 100 to 120 points in basics in a single day... Rank H already. That's fast growth, even for a Level 2 starting out,' Hachiman analyzed. 'Blacksmith moved up to F and Mystery to H... probably from forging the Wyvern Blade yesterday and the way I used Single Strike.' Then his eyes stopped on the new Development Ability. 'Loved by the Forge...? Prevent a fatal blow once a day, against enemies up to 3 levels higher?' He felt his face flush slightly as he read the poetic description and the clearly protective nature of the ability. 'This... has Hephaestus-sama's hand in it, for sure. It's almost like she's personally watching over me.'
He also noticed something crucial. 'Magic... only 80 points. Compared to basics, it was the smallest growth.' An understanding began to form. 'The Wyvern Blade. It's powerful on its own, with its fire and growth property. Because of it, I used Trace On much less to project Kanshou and Bakuya or explosive daggers. The constant flow of mana to maintain projections, even if it didn't visibly affect me at Level 1 with SSS Rank Magic, was constant exercise for that attribute. Now, with a powerful physical weapon... my magic wasn't as challenged.' He pondered. 'The Wyvern Blade is excellent, but relying on it too much might stunt my fundamental magic growth. Decided. I'll keep it for now, it's very useful. But when we have other members in the Familia, or when I can consistently project something even better, I'll pass it on.'
While Hachiman was lost in his analytical thoughts, Aqua, who was peeking over his shoulder, focused on the new Development Ability. Her eyes narrowed. "Loved... by the Forge?" she read aloud, her voice suddenly cold. She looked at the faint blush still lingering on Hachiman's face. "Hachiman..." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Wh-what is this? 'Deep affection'? 'Bond'? 'Forge's blessing'?" She started to tremble. "Are you... are you going to leave me?! Are you going to join that cyclops Hephaestus's Familia?! Is that why she gave you that armor and kissed you?! To steal you from me?!" Jealousy and insecurity exploded.
Hachiman was completely taken by surprise by her reaction. 'Oh, damn. Didn't think about that.' He turned to Aqua, who was now looking at him with a mixture of accusation and genuine fear of abandonment. He sighed, exasperation mixed with a pang of... something softer. He held her shoulders firmly, forcing her to look at him.
"Aqua," he said, his voice serious and calm. "Look at me. I will never change Familias. You are my Goddess. You were the one who gave me the Falna, who has been with me since the beginning in this world." He could feel the sincerity in his own words. As annoying and useless as she was most of the time, there was a bond there, forged in despair and mutual survival. "This ability... is probably a gift from Hephaestus-sama because of our alliance and because I use her forges. It doesn't mean anything more than that. I'm not going anywhere."
Aqua sniffled, her eyes still teary, but the intensity of her fear diminishing somewhat. "R-really? You promise?"
"I promise," Hachiman said. He rarely made promises.
That seemed to calm her considerably. She wiped her tears and even managed a small smile. "Humph. Good. Because you wouldn't find a more amazing Goddess than me!"
Hachiman just rolled his eyes, but the relief was palpable. After calming Aqua, he took her for a short walk around the neighborhood to lift her spirits (and perhaps his own as well), before they returned home and finally rested after a hectic day.
The next morning, Hachiman woke with a new priority. Yesterday's hunt had been profitable, but the storage problem was glaring. 'Buying more adventurer pouches is a temporary and inefficient solution. I need something better.' His mind returned to Rule Breaker and the knowledge of Medea he felt flow when he projected it. 'Medea was a mage from the Age of Gods. Her knowledge of magic items... must include something about spatial storage.' He remembered reading about such items in his past life, usually small, like bags or rings, capable of holding much more than their physical size suggested. 'A ring. Discreet, easy to carry.'
With this goal, he decided not to go to the Dungeon that day. He went to Orario's central market, looking for suitable metals. He found a vendor specializing in rare materials and, after some negotiation (and explaining it was for a Hephaestus Familia smithing project, to justify the purchase as a Level 2), acquired half a kilogram of Mithril infused with Orichalcum – an extremely light, strong metal with high magical conductivity. It cost him one million Valis.
With the precious metal in hand, he set off for the Hephaestus Familia headquarters. Upon arrival, unlike other times, he found neither Hephaestus nor Tsubaki in the private workshop. One of the Familia's blacksmiths informed him that both had left early to handle urgent Familia business and would likely only return the next day. 'Better this way, perhaps. I can concentrate without interruptions or teasing.' He had permission to use the forge, so he headed there.
He lit the fire, prepared the tools. He planned to make several small rings, about 10 grams each, which would give him 50 attempts with the half-kilogram of metal. The challenge wasn't shaping the rings themselves – that was basic smithing. The real challenge was imbuing them with spatial storage capacity. Medea's knowledge, accessed through the resonance of Rule Breaker and filtered by his own understanding of UBW, gave him the complex runic diagrams and enchanting principles needed. His 'Mystery: H' Development Ability would be crucial to understanding and applying this ancient, unconventional magic.
The work was incredibly arduous and meticulous. Unlimited Blade Works didn't give him enchanting ability instantly; Medea's knowledge was more like an incredibly detailed but stern internal teacher, showing the 'how,' but requiring him to do the 'doing.' Each tiny rune needed to be precisely engraved on the ring's interior. Each flow of mana to activate the spatial enchantment needed to be perfectly controlled and synchronized with the gestures and words of power Medea's knowledge provided him. Many times he erred. Rings cracked under mana pressure, runes became imperfect and failed, enchantments dissipated mid-process. It was a long, frustrating session of trial and error.
Hours passed. The morning sun gave way to afternoon, and the afternoon began to darken. Hachiman was covered in sweat, his forehead furrowed in absolute concentration, ignoring hunger and fatigue. Of the fifty rings he had prepared, most resulted in failures – useless pieces of expensive metal. But slowly, with each attempt, he learned, adjusted, refined his technique.
Finally, as night had already fallen over Orario, he looked at the workbench. There, among dozens of failed attempts, were five small Mithril-Orichalcum rings glowing with a faint internal blue light. He picked one up, channeled a little mana, and 'felt' the inner space. One cubic meter. Each of them. Five rings, five cubic meters of extradimensional storage.
A smile of pure satisfaction appeared on his exhausted face. He had done it. He had transformed ancient knowledge and expensive materials into incredibly useful tools. Looking out the forge window, he saw the sky was dark, starry. 'I spent the whole day here...' he realized, only then noticing how much time had passed.
He left the forge clean and tidy, as he had found it, and returned home, the five spatial rings safely stored. He had dinner with a curious Aqua (to whom he merely said he was "working on a project") and then fell into bed, the fatigue of mental concentration as heavy as that of physical battle. But he slept well, knowing he had solved one of his biggest logistical problems.