You call this magic?

"...?"

"Anyway, let's first look at weapons that suit my current needs."

Volume 2 Dungeon Encounter (I): Chapter 19 Picking Up a Protagonist

In the end, Ethan chose a longsword with excellent magic conductivity. Although it did not have the "indestructible" attribute, it was also a very durable style. Hephaestus also said that if Ethan broke it before reaching level 5, she would replace it with a new one for free.

It is enough to see how confident Hephaestus is.

The sword does not look gorgeous, but Ethan never chooses weapons based on appearance. The most important thing is whether it is easy to use.

The best part is that Ethan can infuse it with magic. He can use the principles of dark magic to stuff magic into it like a ritual weapon, giving it attribute damage and other special effects.

Compared to the village hatchets we used before, now we have a better weapon than before, so we don’t need to use our fists anymore.

The only annoying thing is, the price of this thing is... ahem, twenty million fares.

Although he is not short of money now, he still feels a little painful when spending so much money at one time.

Alas, it was because I was so short of money that I became stupid.

On the way back to the clan, Hestia was still chattering as usual, as if the previous arrangements for her had been forgotten.

"Speaking of which, Lady Hestia, are you truly reflecting on your actions?" Ethan had to mention this matter. "Although food and lodging are provided, you still have to pay attention to your living habits. You can't live like you did with Hephaestus."

"Uh..." Hestia's face turned bitter. She pouted and hesitated for a while, then made the most direct accusation, "Wow, Hephaestus is bullying me! Ethan-kun is bullying me too! I want to protest!"

"Protests are useless... But I'm not a devil." Ethan glanced at the pitiful Hestia and said, "How about this? From now on, as long as you can maintain a regular sleep and rest schedule for more than three days, I'll give you an extra bonus on payday. The longer you keep doing it, the bigger the bonus. And if you interrupt for even one day, the time will be reset."

Ethan knew very well that simple punishment would hardly motivate people, especially for a simple god like Hestia. Punishment and reward had to be combined.

At least for now, he thinks this plan is reasonable.

After waiting for a while, Ethan found that Hestia didn't react. He looked down and saw that the child was counting on her fingers.

"Ethan-kun, let me ask you this." Hestia raised her head seriously, "Will the new bonus be deducted from the debt directly, or will it be given to me directly?"

"...I'll send it to you directly, and the debt will be calculated separately." Ethan knew she would ask this.

"Great!" Hestia instantly smiled and rushed over, "Ethan, you're so nice!"

"Let go, this is the street!"

"Here we go again. Oh, I remember now. Ethan-kun is still a minor. Is it because your sister stimulated you too much?"

The two of them walked forward pulling and tugging, causing many passers-by to look at them sideways.

Although the relationship is clearly not between a god and his followers, they are so close, which makes many people envious.

The other gods who recognized Hestia's identity were even more surprised. This was the virgin goddess who hadn't been able to find a man for hundreds of millions of years!

This is too incredible!

It was the ultimate newcomer from the Soma clan who caused a lot of discussion in Orario some time ago.

It’s a pity that he hasn’t reached level 2 yet, otherwise when it comes to giving out titles, the gods will definitely criticize Su Mo, the taciturn guy.

Many gods have already started brainstorming, determined to teach Soma a lesson.

Of course, you can't go too far, alas, divine wine.

……

When he returned to the clan, before Ethan even entered the door, a short boy suddenly jumped out from somewhere.

"Please, please wait!"

He was trembling with fear, and his voice was shaking a little when he spoke. It seemed that it took a lot of courage to stop Ethan.

Hestia looked at the boy curiously, then looked at Ethan: "Ethan-kun, since someone is looking for you, I'll go back first."

Ever since the major change in Soma's family, the food in the cafeteria has inexplicably become more delicious. Hestia can eat different delicious food at every meal. Occasionally, if Soma is in a good mood, there will be alcohol-free spirit wine. Now it's so great.

However, of course, you can't eat whatever you want at Hephaestus's, but the nutrition is definitely enough, otherwise it will not be enough to meet the daily consumption of the family members.

Adventurers are a group that values ​​food very much. Especially as their level increases, their appetite will increase. Basically, most of the expenses of a slightly larger family are spent on food.

As for the Soma clan... nominally there is not a single lv2 yet, and the expenses on food only account for a small part of the total for the time being.

The boy didn't notice Hestia, or rather, he didn't dare look at the goddess at all, his face was already so red that he didn't even think about himself.

"Okay, the person has left. You can calm down now. Tell me, what do you want from me?"

"Hah... Huh... Hah... Huh..." The young man took a few deep breaths, glanced at Ethan, and a firm look appeared in his eyes. "Hello, hello, I'm Bell Crany. Could you please let me join your family?"

Ok?

What did he say his name was?

Ethan then looked at the other person carefully. White hair, red eyes, and a somewhat timid personality... they met.

Wocao is the protagonist!

From my impression, this guy did meet Hestia, who was also desperate, after running into obstacles everywhere in Orario. Now Hestia was taken away by him before she reached the point of desperation, while Bell was obviously still in the stage of running into obstacles everywhere.

But unexpectedly, he actually ran to the Soma clan.

Bell, who has not yet received the grace, does look weak at first glance, but if you understand this protagonist, you will not underestimate his potential.

This kid, if he is taught well, can really become a great general.

Regardless of his background and personal potential, he is worth cultivating.

But if I remember correctly, Freya seemed to want him too, right?

Ethan thought about it and smiled.

I'm so sorry, Goddess Freya, I want this guy.

"Is that so?" Ethan nodded. "Come in first."

After hearing Ethan's words, Bell's eyes, which had been somewhat dim, suddenly became bright.

Since coming to Orario, he has visited many clans, but was turned away without exception, especially the Freya clan. When he walked to the door, he saw a ferocious and terrifying pig-man standing there staring at him. He was so scared that his legs almost went limp and he ran away crawling.

He had originally given up hope, but the Soma clan seemed to have undergone a major change recently, and people were talking about it wherever he went, which made him want to come here and try his luck.

Volume 2 Dungeon Encounters (Part 1): Chapter 20: Heroic Aspirations

Bell Crany, the protagonist of this world, has great potential. Hidden beneath his timid character is an extremely tough heart.

So this is how people are. As long as you know the other person's true qualities, you will easily give them a chance.

Bale at this stage is just starting out and has great plasticity. As long as he is trained properly, he will become stronger very quickly and may even become his right-hand man.

It was that grandfather who he didn't know where was hiding who had instilled many unnecessary ideas into him, and Ethan had to correct them from here first.

There's nothing wrong with dreaming of love, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a hero, but first, you have to have the strength to match it. There's no point in overthinking it before that.

In short, you kid, don’t even think about falling in love for the time being.

"Anyway, let's do the interview first." He brought Bell to the training ground. There were already many family members training here, and they looked quite professional.

"Captain!"

"Hello, Captain. Are you here for training today?"

"Well, who's that next to the captain? The new guy?"

"Wow, this is the first time we've added new people since then."

"Hey, little brother looks so cute, do you want to be your roommate?"

"Old woman, this little brother should be my roommate!"

Men and women all came up noisily, especially some older sisters in the clan, who actually started teasing Bell, making him blush and shrink behind Ethan subconsciously.

No, buddy, you're just a coward.

Ethan dragged him out directly. If you can't even handle this situation, how are you going to get along with the older sisters in the clan in the future?

Although it’s not mentioned, there are indeed Amazons among the Soma clan, but their number is small.

"Well, I'm not sure yet. I have to try him out now."

Ethan made a downward gesture, and the crowd around him immediately fell silent, not out of fear, but out of pure respect for Ethan.

As soon as he came, the clan really achieved fairness, fairness, and damn fairness.

"Kronnie, what weapons are you good at?" Ethan asked, letting Bell stand in the middle of the field.

"Well, that, the dagger...is that okay?" Bell was surrounded by a group of people, and even though their eyes contained kindness and ridicule, he still couldn't look directly at them.

Ethan gestured, and a thief beside him took out the dagger from his waist and threw it over: "Catch it, kid!"

Bell caught it in a panic, but those who knew would notice that his hand was surprisingly steady.

Timidity is merely his outward appearance.

"Alright, Craney, for the next minute, you can attack me in any way you want. I won't fight back in any way. Just attack me with all your might."

"Yes!" Bell pulled out the dagger, held it in his backhand, took several deep breaths, and then mustered up the courage to rush towards Ethan.

One minute later.

Bell lay on the ground in despair. Ethan did not fight back, but he completely saw through all of Bell's attack routes and targetedly unloaded his force in advance, resulting in none of Bell's attacks being effective.

"Okay, that's enough," Ethan said.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I..."

"No need to apologize, kid. You're brave enough to charge at the captain, even without receiving any favors." The thief who handed him the dagger stepped forward and pulled him up, patting Bell on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm rooting for you."

"Eh?"

Bell didn't expect that the other party didn't criticize him, but directly encouraged him. This made him stammer and not know what to say after hitting a wall all day.

"Since I was testing you personally, I didn't expect you to win. I just asked you to attack with all your strength." Ethan smiled. "What I wanted to see was whether you could muster the courage to fight with all your strength even though you were timid. In fact, you did not disappoint me."

"Bell, is your ideal to be a hero?" Ethan asked.

"Yes, it is!"

"What do you think a hero is?"

"The great man who saved the world."

"That's true, but I hope you can remember that a hero doesn't save the world because he is a hero, but he is a hero because he saves the world."

He patted Bell's shoulder and said, "You've passed the test. After all, the first step to becoming a hero is to muster the courage to draw your sword against an invincible enemy."

Bell's eyes became brighter and brighter, and he nodded vigorously.

At this moment, Ethan was extremely tall in his eyes.

"Anyway, the Lord God is also watching your performance just now." Ethan pointed upwards, and Bell subconsciously looked towards the terrace on the second floor. He saw that Su Mo had been standing there quietly since he didn't know when, and after seeing Bell, he nodded at him.

"Hello, Lord God!" Bell bowed ninety degrees to Somo.

"Bring him up." Su Mo said lightly, turned and walked into the room.

"It seems the gods approve of you, boy." The thief stepped forward. "You said you prefer short swords, right? Then after you receive the grace, I will train you. How about that, Captain?"

The thief looked at Ethan.

"Well, you are the most suitable one at the moment."

It's not about training him to be a thief, but about quickly mastering the use of short weapons so as to kill the enemy most efficiently. Moreover, when facing humanoid creatures and monsters, the thief's fighting style is different.

Soon, Bell received favor from Soma, and the process went very smoothly.

"This is..." Su Mo's expression changed after seeing the data on Bell's back.

Ethan looked at Su Mo curiously until the other party handed Ethan the parchment with the numbers printed on it.

As the leader, he also has the obligation to master the skills and stats of the team members.

Generally speaking, an adventurer who has just received a favor has nothing, the value is 0, and the magic slot and skill slot should be empty, but Bell already has a skill.

【Hero Aspiration】

·Greatly increases growth rate when admiring heroes.

· Helping others significantly increases your growth rate.