It was a more enduring driving force than hunger.
For the history of human migration was a history driven by curiosity.
From the first Homo sapiens to leave Africa in ancient times to the navigators who later sailed out onto the ocean again and again.
Behind every adventure in human history, aside from the pressure to survive...
Wasn't it that primal impulse to "see what lay beyond the mountains" and "find out whether there was land across the sea" at work?
There was no denying it.
As the saying went, "Curiosity killed the cat."
That reckless urge to court death seemed etched deep into humanity's genes.
It sent humans to their deaths time and again, exacting a terrible price.
Yet it was also that very spirit...
That allowed humanity to conquer the land, the skies, and the oceans, before finally turning its gaze toward the stars.
"Don't worry. As long as they keep that drive..."
"I'm sure they'll surprise all of Orario before long."
"We're here."
Haimo finished speaking.
After walking for roughly twenty minutes...
The group finally came to a stop.
There...
Ahead of them...
A magnificent building came into view.
The headquarters of the Hephaestus Familia.
The moment they stepped into the area...
A wave of heat, utterly unlike anything outside, washed over them.
It wasn't the heat of flames, but the passion of steel and smithing radiating from countless furnaces that worked day and night.
This was the workshop and headquarters of Orario's largest smithing faction-the Hephaestus Familia.
Two crossed hammers were engraved on its enormous sign.
Weapons and armor covered the walls, reflecting a cold, captivating gleam beneath the magic stone lamps.
Greatswords, battle-axes, spears, rapiers...
Every piece was finely crafted, with sleek lines and perfect balance. Even a layman could recognize their exceptional quality at a glance.
For a group of girls who lived and breathed martial arts...
This place was nothing short of paradise.
"Um..."
Onigawara Rin's feet stopped moving on the spot.
Her gaze was glued to a katana inside a display case.
The blade was jet-black, with cloudlike forging patterns along its edge, and radiated a sharpness that made her heart tremble.
As a swordswoman...
Seeing a renowned blade of this caliber was like a drunkard discovering a fine aged wine. She simply couldn't look away.
But then...
Onigawara Rin swallowed, and her gaze slid down to the price tag beneath the sword.
[Renowned blade: Black Crow] [Maker: Hephaestus Familia, senior smith] [Price: 3,800,000 valis]
"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands..."
Onigawara Rin counted the string of zeros, her face turning pale in an instant. In the end, she could only look away in despair and croak:
"That price is outrageous!"
Although she had no idea how much purchasing power this world's currency, valis, had...
Onigawara Rin thought of the dilapidated temple she had just left.
A renowned blade of this caliber suddenly felt impossibly far beyond her reach.
Still...
Haimo noticed the look in Onigawara Rin's eyes and couldn't help giving the sword another glance.
"Hey, Haimo! Hestia! What took you so long?"
Just then...
A slightly husky yet captivating female voice came from deep within the workshop.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
There...
A woman with short, crimson hair strode toward them.
She wore a crisp white shirt and black trousers, with a black eye patch over her right eye. It did nothing to diminish her beauty, instead adding a touch of commanding dignity.
She was none other than Hephaestus, the patron goddess of the Hephaestus Familia.
Chapter 17: Staying the Night at Hephaestus's Headquarters
By then...
They were in the dining hall at the Hephaestus Familia's headquarters.
The long dining table was laden with sumptuous food.
The two black bears-the larger Fierce Man and the smaller one-had been settled in a corner, each gnawing furiously on a bone-in slab of meat thicker than their thighs.
Hanabishi Warabi had likewise stuffed her mouth with meat, her cheeks bulging like a hamster's.
Although Kikakujō Mary did her best to maintain her ladylike elegance, faced with these otherworldly dishes she had never seen before, her fork moved at lightning speed.
By comparison, Sasamori Aya and Tsukuyo Inaba were much quieter.
Their eating pace, however, was no slower.
Hephaestus sat at the head of the long table, her uncovered eye watching the people wolfing down food and the bears in the corner.
Her face, usually known for its stern, composed expression, was beginning to crack.
"So..."
Hephaestus rubbed her brow and looked at Haimo, who sat beside her, eating with perfect composure.
"This is what you meant when you said a few extra mouths wouldn't be a problem?"
"Don't put it like that, Hephaestus."
"These are all promising talents I've picked out."
"Orario's future strongest Familia is right here."
"Pfft-"
At those words, Hestia, who had been drinking soup, lost control.
She spat out a mouthful of thick soup, some of it even splashing onto the table.
She hurriedly grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth, her eyes widening as she coughed.
"Cough, cough... the strongest Familia?"
"With these kids who only just arrived... and those two bears?"
Disbelief covered Hestia's face.
Hephaestus, however, didn't laugh.
After all, as a patron goddess who had descended long ago, she had spent years working in the Lower World and had seen countless adventurers.
Her eye for people was naturally far sharper than Hestia's, who had only recently descended and was still freeloading at her place.
As the saying went, outsiders watched the spectacle, while experts saw the finer details.
For precisely that reason...
After Hephaestus swept her gaze over the group...
Her initially casual expression gradually faded.
A glint flashed in her uncovered eye, one that only a true expert could understand.
It was the delight of recognizing exceptional talent.
That was how most things in this world worked.
A so-called rough gem...
Was a priceless treasure in the eyes of someone knowledgeable, an exceptional raw material that could one day be forged into a legendary divine weapon.
To someone who knew nothing, it was merely an ordinary stone found anywhere by the roadside, still covered in dirt.
Yet...
Talent was plentiful in this world, while those who could recognize it were rare.
In this fiercely competitive city of Orario...
Countless newcomers arrived every day with dreams in their hearts, plunging into the Dungeon like moths to a flame.
And countless others left in despair, some without even leaving their bones behind.
Even children who truly possessed considerable potential...
Could end up fading into obscurity, struggling their entire lives in the mire at the bottom, if they joined the wrong Familia, followed the wrong god, and never received the proper guidance or development.
Opportunity was often more important than talent.
"Haimo."
At that thought, Hephaestus withdrew her gaze and looked again at the god beside her, who was leisurely cutting his steak.
Her tone held less teasing now, and more seriousness.
"It looks like, during this time..."
"You really have uncovered one incredible mine."
"A mine?"
Hestia looked utterly baffled. With a piece of potato still speared on her fork, she glanced at the girls, then at Hephaestus.
Her big eyes were filled with equally big questions.
"Where's the mine? They aren't carrying any ore."
"Idiot!"
The moment those words left Hestia's mouth, Hephaestus couldn't help raising her hand and rapping her on the head with her knuckles.
A sharp thunk rang out.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
Hestia clutched her forehead, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Hephaestus, why did you hit me?"